28 Shocking Gun Crime Statistics

Gun violence is a prominent issue in the US, especially given its unique relationship with firearms. The citizens’ right to bear arms is an integral part of the culture, but widespread gun ownership increases crime rates.

We will show you a list of insightful gun crime statistics to give you an objective look at the topic. You’ll learn about current crime rates and deaths data and other practical information related to the subject.

Let’s take a look at the most recent stats on gun crime.

Gun Violence Stats

1. Gun violence results in more than 100 deaths a day in the US.

(Everytown Research)

On top of that, more than 200 people are shot or wounded. On average, the annual number of gun deaths by intent is almost 39,000. Believe it or not, US gun death statistics confirm that suicide is responsible for over 60% of gun deaths. 

2. In 2020, children attended, suffered, or were killed in 611 mass shootings. 

(Children’s Defense Fund)

That was an increase of 194 more mass shootings involving children compared to 2019. Heartbreakingly, gun death statistics note that guns ended the lives of more children and teenagers than pneumonia, asthma, cancer, opioids, and HIV/AIDS combined. 

In fact, for every child killed by a gun, another five suffered gunshot wounds. 

3. Firearms accounted for 73.7% of murder cases in 2019.

(FBI)

Out of all the categories of homicide weapons the FBI tracks, firearms are by far the most common tool used. 

FBI’s stats show knives or other cutting instruments made up 10.6% of all murder cases. So-called personal weapons — hands, feet, etc. —  account for 4.3%.

4. United States gun death statistics reveal guns killed almost 20,000 people in 2020.

(The Washington Post)

Moreover, another 24,000 people were killed by suicide involving a gun. Gun violence has become increasingly common in the United States. Additionally, 2020 was the deadliest gun violence year in the last 20 years. 

5. 486 people died in unintentional gun accidents in 2019.

(EFSGV)

According to the US gun homicide rate, less than 2% of all gun-related deaths are caused unintentionally. In 90% of these cases, the victim was male.

In addition, over half of the accidental gun deaths per year are casualties under the age of 35. 

6. In 2019, over 180,000 aggravated assaults included a firearm.

(Statista)

There were over 650,000 aggravated assaults in 2019. Most of them — 200,826 — fell in the broad classification of “other weapons.” On the other hand, 186,078 cases involved a firearm, as the statistics on gun violence show us. 

Personal weapons and cutting instruments (like knives) are the other prominent tools in aggravated assaults — 169,384 and 117,854, respectively.

7. Firearms accounted for 73.66% of homicides in 2019.

(Statista)

US gun violence statistics reveal that there has been a rise in homicides committed with such means. 

According to the gun violence statistics, the lowest percentage of gun-related homicides in the last 15 years was 2014 — 63.55%. In 2016, the number rose to 67.72%, and in 2019 —  to over 73%. 

8. Most gun deaths in the US are suicides.

(Statista)

According to the most recent data, there are 24,432 suicides by firearm annually. Meanwhile, the number of gunshot deaths per year reported in homicide cases is 13,958 —  almost two times less than the number of suicides.

The data reveals that men over the age of 45 commit 85% of gun suicides. 

Statistics on Mass Shootings

9. 83 mass shootings in the US were carried out with legally obtained weapons in the last 39 years.

(Statista)

When it comes to mass shootings, the perpetrators usually use weapons bought through legal means. 

US mass shooting statistics reveal 16 instances with illegally obtained weapons or firearms between 1982 and May 2021, and one with both legal and illegal. 

The authorities couldn’t determine the legality of the weapons used in 17 mass shootings in that period. 

10. The Las Vegas Strip massacre caused 58 deaths.

(Statista)

The Las Vegas Strip massacre of 2017 was the worst mass shooting in US history — 58 fatalities and 546 injured.

Mass shooting statistics by year show that the 2016 Orlando nightclub massacre is the second-most lethal, resulting in 49 deaths and 53 injured.

11. There were 40 active shooter incidents in 2020.

(FBI)

They occurred in 19 states. Believe it or not, the number of the incidents is 33% higher compared to 2019 and 100% higher than in 2016. Apart from the shooters, who were mostly male, 38 people lost their lives, and 126 ended up wounded.  

12. The most recent mass shooting with over 20 casualties happened in 2019.

(Gun Violence Archive)

The annual death rates from mass shootings show us that the last incident with over 20 casualties was in 2019 in El Paso, Texas. The incident resulted in 23 deaths and 23 injured.

13. White perpetrators were responsible for 66 of the mass shootings in the last 39 years.

(Statista)

According to gun crime statistics by race, out of the 124 mass shootings between 1982 and May 2021, white people committed over half of them. 

On the other hand, Black people committed 21 mass shootings, Latinos were responsible for ten, and Asians — for eight. The race of the shooter was not determined in the rest of the cases.

14. 405 people have died in mass shootings since June 2021.

(Gun Violence Archive)

Shooting statistics reveal that the deadliest incidents included five victims each. The first one occured in June, and the youngest victim was 19 years old. 

The other mass shooting happened in July and the youngest victim was a male teenager. Lastly, in November, one of the five victims was a one-year old child. 

Gun Ownership vs. Homicide Rate

15. In 2019, the US had the lowest number of imported firearms.

(Statista)

According to 2019 gun control statistics, the US imported fewer than 400,000 weapons. This is a tremendous decrease compared to previous years. For example, in 2018, the imported firearms were over four million.

16. 44% of US adults have a gun in their household.

(Gallup)

Evidence suggests guns are widely available in the US, as 32% admit they own a gun — 45% of men and 19% of women.

Further research indicates that the majority of gun owners, 45%, live in the country’s rural areas. These weapons are totally legal to own though, as per the second amendment, and lots of gun owners also purchase gun cleaning kits for their weaponry.

17. 38% of white people in the US own a gun.

(Gallup)

White people are the most likely to own a firearm, over a third of the group. In comparison, only 18% of non-white people admit ownership.

United States gun violence statistics also show that white people are the most common perpetrators of such crimes.

Additionally to owning a firearm, many Americans also have a gun safe in their household.

18. Over 700,000 more guns were sold in March 2020, in comparison to previous years.

(Brookings)

President Trump declared a state of national emergency on March 13, 2020, resulting in a surge of people buying guns.

Throughout the first quarter of 2020, people bought an average of fewer than 100,000 guns a day. But following the president’s declaration, this number skyrocketed to over 120,000 daily.

According to gun control stats, March 16 was a time of peak gun sales, with 176,000 firearms sold that day alone. The upward trend quickly died off, returning to average values in April.

Gun Violence by State

19. Texas has over 830,000 registered weapons.

(Statista, Giffords)

Texas has the most registered weapons by a significant number compared to other states. Florida takes second place with a little under 500,000. Virginia, the state with the third-highest gun registration rate, has nearly 400,000 weapons.

Texas, however, is in the 28th place in gun deaths by state, with 12.3 people dying from gunshots per 100,000. This translates to 3,455 deaths per year or a person dying due to a firearm wound every 3 hours.

20. 85.87% of homicides in Missouri include guns.

(Statista)

Missouri is in the lead among the states with the most gun violence. South Carolina is not that far behind at 85.62%, followed by Illinois at 83.92%. 

21. California had 22 mass shootings up to May 2021.

(Statista)

California has a much higher rate of mass shootings than other states. It also has one of the most stringent gun laws in the country. 

The gun homicide rate by state reveals that Florida suffered 12 mass shootings in the last 39 years, followed by Texas with 11.

22. Mississippi’s mortality rate by firearm is 22.9 per 100,000 people.

(Statista)

Mississippi has the highest gun-related mortality rate in the US. Alabama is second, with 21.8. 

Gun death rates by state show Rhode Island has the lowest mortality rate of 3.3. Massachusetts, Hawaii, and New York also have admirably low rates — 3.5, 4, and 4.1, respectively.

Strict Gun Laws vs. Crime Rate Statistics

23. 57% of US citizens feel gun laws should be more rigorous.

(Statista)

The US has varying levels of gun restrictions across the states. For instance, California has the most restrictive gun policies, while Arizona and Alaska are on the other end of the spectrum, with the fewest restrictions.

When it comes to introducing more gun laws, statistics show us that most of the population supports the idea. 34%, however, think that the laws are good as they are, while 9% believe they should be less severe.

24. 45% of voters strongly support gun control laws.

(Statista)

Statistics on gun violence seem to have moved almost half of the US voters to strongly support control laws, while 15% strongly oppose it. 

In terms of political affiliations — 75% of Democrats support gun control laws, whereas only 16% of Republicans feel the same way, and 37% oppose it.

Worldwide Gun Violence Stats

25. The US has the highest firearm death rate among the largest economies in the world.

(Statista)

According to the latest data, 3.149 people per 100,000 die in firearm incidents yearly. For comparison, Germany is second with a rate of 0.1.

Further analysis of gun violence statistics by country shows the other countries have even lower rates.  For instance, the UK’s rate is 0.048.

26. The US witnessed 34 school shootings in 2021. 

(Education Week)

Believe it or not, 24 occurred after the beginning of Augist. The deadliest one was in November, when a student injured seven people and killed four. In detail, 68 people were killed or injured, among which three members of the school staff or adults were killed. 

In comparison, the 2020 numbers are lower, probably because of the pandemic and the remote learning. 

27. Norway has a mass shooting death rate of 1.888.

(World Population Review)

With a median rate of 1.888 deaths per capita, Norway ranks first among countries with the most mass shootings. Norway, however, has among the lowest rates of violent crime in the world.

The other countries in the top five list are Serbia (0.381), France (0,347), Macedonia (0.337), and Albania (0.206). While they experience very few shootings overall, their mortality rate is much higher.

As mass shooting statistics by country show the US is 12th in the world in deaths per capita.

28. El Salvador had a 72.5 firearm death rate per 100,000 people annually.

(Statista)

El Salvador has the highest gun death rate in the world. According to the most recent data, over 4600 people died in El Salvador in a year as a result of gun violence. 

According to gun crime statistics, Venezuela is second with a rate of 64.3.

Conclusion

No matter your stance on gun control, we can all agree that the number of gun-related crimes in the US is a cause for alarm, especially given the frequency of such crimes.

Gun crime statistics, however, show that such problems happen everywhere in the world. The solution is not simple and would require stricter rules and additional changes in the gun culture. 

The stats we gathered illustrate the depth of the problem — death rates, mass shooting frequencies, and gun availability and distribution.

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