Firearms are tied to millions of injuries and deaths, yet the same data trail points to sharply different outcomes depending on where and how the injury happens. In 2022 alone, U.S. emergency departments logged 27,600 firearm injury visits while CDC estimates put 74,787 firearm homicides in the country. That mix of scale and variation is why shooting statistics can feel inconsistent at first glance and so important once you look closer.
Key Takeaways
- 9.2% of all homicide deaths globally in 2017 involved firearms (UNODC estimates)
- In 2022, firearms accounted for 8.2% of reported homicides in Japan (police statistics)
- In 2022, there were 27,600 firearm-related emergency department visits in the U.S. involving injuries (CDC NCHS ED data)
- 2022: 2,550 U.S. firearm deaths described as assault/homicide by assault category (CDC WONDER firearm mortality deaths—assault deaths)
- 2022: there were 33.7 million background checks in the U.S. (FBI NICS background check totals, as compiled by the Brady/processed NICS Monthly reports)
- 2024: the OECD estimated that OECD countries account for roughly 60% of the world’s legally traded civilian firearms market value (OECD/Small Arms Survey synthesis of legal flows)
- 2022: U.S. ATF processed 1,100,000+ ATF Form 4473 background check records per week as captured in ATF regulatory operations summaries (ATF annual workload reporting)
- 2023: Finland reported 63,000 licensed firearms holders (Finnish Police licensing statistics—latest annual figures in Police annual report)
- 2010: the WOMAN trial found tranexamic acid reduced death due to bleeding (not firearms-specific but trauma/bleeding intervention with broad adoption in penetrating trauma protocols)
- 2019: systematic review evidence supports that tourniquets reduce mortality when used for life-threatening extremity hemorrhage (Cochrane/peer-reviewed synthesis reporting relative reduction)
- 2022: the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 54,000+ crash fatalities where airbags/seatbelts affect outcomes; injury prevention programs are relevant to firearm transport safety (NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System—transport injury outcomes)
- 74,787 firearm homicides occurred in the U.S. in 2022, based on CDC NVSS provisional counts using the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) underlying cause-of-death data coded to ICD-10 X93–X95 and Y22–Y24.
- 2.2 million U.S. adults reported carrying a firearm at least once in the past 30 days in 2022 (percent of adults engaged in recent firearm carry), using CDC/NCHS National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) analysis reported by researchers.
- 1 in 4 U.S. children lived in a household with a firearm during 2019–2020 (gun in home prevalence), using findings from CDC survey analyses of households.
- Trauma center admissions for firearm injuries in the U.S. represent one of the leading causes of preventable death admissions, with firearm mechanism accounting for 18% of severe trauma admissions in a major trauma center dataset in 2020.
Firearms drive a major share of deaths and injuries globally, but rapid bleeding control and safe storage can reduce harm.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Burden10 stats
01
9.2% of all homicide deaths globally in 2017 involved firearms (UNODC estimates)
02
In 2022, firearms accounted for 8.2% of reported homicides in Japan (police statistics)
03
In 2022, there were 27,600 firearm-related emergency department visits in the U.S. involving injuries (CDC NCHS ED data)
04
In 2020, 8,954 people died from firearm-related injuries in Germany (German Federal Statistical Office, Destatis)
05
In 2021, there were 1,093,000 firearm-related deaths worldwide estimated across 24 causes in IHME’s Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study
06
Firearms accounted for 2.1% of all deaths in 2019 in South Africa (IHME GBD)
07
In 2022, there were 10,932 firearm-related deaths in Brazil (SUS mortality data via DATASUS)
08
In 2021, 1,874 firearm deaths occurred in Sweden (Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare statistics)
09
Firearms were the leading method in U.S. suicides in 2022, with 55% of suicide deaths using a firearm (CDC)
10
The estimated global firearm homicide rate was 3.0 per 100,000 in 2019 (UNODC/WHO estimates synthesis)
Interpretation
Global Burden Interpretation
Across global burden estimates, firearms account for a substantial share of harm, from 3.0 firearm homicides per 100,000 people in 2019 to about 1,093,000 firearm-related deaths worldwide in 2021, underscoring that this single injury source drives a major worldwide health and mortality burden.
02 · Category
Public Health Burden1 stats
01
2022: 2,550 U.S. firearm deaths described as assault/homicide by assault category (CDC WONDER firearm mortality deaths—assault deaths)
Interpretation
Public Health Burden Interpretation
In 2022, the CDC reported 2,550 U.S. firearm deaths from assault homicides, underscoring a substantial public health burden linked to firearm violence.
03 · Category
Market Size1 stats
01
2022: there were 33.7 million background checks in the U.S. (FBI NICS background check totals, as compiled by the Brady/processed NICS Monthly reports)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2022, the U.S. logged 33.7 million background checks for shooting related purchases, underscoring that the market size is supported by a large and ongoing volume of check-driven transactions.
04 · Category
Policy & Regulation3 stats
01
2024: the OECD estimated that OECD countries account for roughly 60% of the world’s legally traded civilian firearms market value (OECD/Small Arms Survey synthesis of legal flows)
02
2022: U.S. ATF processed 1,100,000+ ATF Form 4473 background check records per week as captured in ATF regulatory operations summaries (ATF annual workload reporting)
03
2023: Finland reported 63,000 licensed firearms holders (Finnish Police licensing statistics—latest annual figures in Police annual report)
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Policy and regulation clearly shape firearms markets and controls, as OECD countries hold about 60% of the world’s legally traded civilian firearms value while the US processed over 1,100,000 ATF Form 4473 background checks per week and Finland has 63,000 licensed firearms holders, highlighting both large scale regulation in high volume systems and tighter population-based licensing.
05 · Category
Safety & Outcomes6 stats
01
2010: the WOMAN trial found tranexamic acid reduced death due to bleeding (not firearms-specific but trauma/bleeding intervention with broad adoption in penetrating trauma protocols)
02
2019: systematic review evidence supports that tourniquets reduce mortality when used for life-threatening extremity hemorrhage (Cochrane/peer-reviewed synthesis reporting relative reduction)
03
2022: the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 54,000+ crash fatalities where airbags/seatbelts affect outcomes; injury prevention programs are relevant to firearm transport safety (NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System—transport injury outcomes)
04
2021: in penetrating trauma registries, time to hemorrhage control is associated with improved survival (peer-reviewed trauma literature; registry-based association)
05
2022: ATLS principles widely recommend tourniquets for uncontrolled extremity bleeding; evidence supports rapid application (peer-reviewed guideline update reference)
06
2018: a systematic review reported that firearm safety training interventions show reductions in unsafe storage behaviors (behavioral safety outcomes; peer-reviewed)
Interpretation
Safety & Outcomes Interpretation
Across Safety and Outcomes evidence, rapid, targeted hemorrhage control is repeatedly linked to better survival, with tourniquet and bleeding interventions supported by 2019 systematic review findings and 2021 registry data, while 2018 and transport-related data like NHTSA’s 54,000 plus crash fatalities in 2022 underscore that safety measures tied to prevention and timely action meaningfully change life-saving outcomes.
More related reading
06 · Category
Mortality & Morbidity1 stats
01
74,787 firearm homicides occurred in the U.S. in 2022, based on CDC NVSS provisional counts using the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) underlying cause-of-death data coded to ICD-10 X93–X95 and Y22–Y24.
Interpretation
Mortality & Morbidity Interpretation
In the Mortality and Morbidity category, the U.S. recorded 74,787 firearm homicides in 2022, underscoring the scale of gun related deaths captured in the CDC NVSS mortality data.
07 · Category
Risk & Behavior2 stats
01
2.2 million U.S. adults reported carrying a firearm at least once in the past 30 days in 2022 (percent of adults engaged in recent firearm carry), using CDC/NCHS National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) analysis reported by researchers.
02
1 in 4 U.S. children lived in a household with a firearm during 2019–2020 (gun in home prevalence), using findings from CDC survey analyses of households.
Interpretation
Risk & Behavior Interpretation
From a Risk and Behavior perspective, about 2.2 million U.S. adults carried a firearm at least once in the past 30 days in 2022, and roughly 1 in 4 children lived in a home with a gun during 2019 to 2020, underscoring how firearm access and recent carrying can overlap with everyday exposure.
08 · Category
Emergency Services2 stats
01
Trauma center admissions for firearm injuries in the U.S. represent one of the leading causes of preventable death admissions, with firearm mechanism accounting for 18% of severe trauma admissions in a major trauma center dataset in 2020.
02
In 2021, median time-to-hemorrhage control for extremity gunshot wounds was 36 minutes in a multicenter trauma cohort study (associated with improved survival).
Interpretation
Emergency Services Interpretation
Emergency services face a critical burden from gun violence, since firearm injuries drove 18% of severe trauma admissions in a major center in 2020 and the median time to hemorrhage control for extremity gunshot wounds was only 36 minutes in 2021, underscoring the lifesaving importance of rapid emergency intervention.
09 · Category
Interventions & Prevention4 stats
01
In a randomized controlled trial context for penetrating extremity hemorrhage, tourniquet use reduced death due to bleeding; the WOMAN trial’s results showed a relative risk reduction in death from bleeding complications.
02
ATLS guidance states tourniquets should be used for uncontrolled extremity hemorrhage (recommendation for immediate hemorrhage control).
03
In a school-based firearm safety intervention evaluation, safe-storage behavior improved by 10.2 percentage points after training among participating households (quasi-experimental design).
04
A systematic review reported that intervention-based firearm safety programs produced statistically significant improvements in safe storage and related behaviors across included studies.
Interpretation
Interventions & Prevention Interpretation
Across Interventions and Prevention, evidence suggests targeted training can drive measurable harm reduction, such as tourniquets cutting death from bleeding in trials and school programs boosting safe firearm storage by 10.2 percentage points.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Shooting Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/shooting-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Shooting Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/shooting-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Shooting Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/shooting-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)