Gun Violence Statistics, Impact And Facts (2025)
Updated · Apr 08, 2025
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Key Facts
- Gun Violence Affecting Mental Health By Countries
- Number of Gun Deaths in the United States
- Child-Related Gun Violence Statistics
- Gun Violence Demographics By Ethnic Background
- Gun Violence By Murder Rate
- Types of Gun Violence
- Economic Impact
- Trends in Gun Ownership
- Conclusion
Introduction
Gun Violence Statistics: The phrase ‘gun violence‘ is an umbrella term that portrays the correlation between guns, death, crimes, and injuries. Sadly, this vague expression may shift the attention away from the hard facts that need to be used in crafting solutions. Gun violence is still predominately a problem in several regions across the globe, with the United States being the most affected country.
However, even after the deadline, the disturbing dissertation, without a single powerful indicator, points to a possible improvement in gun violence. Thus, this piece of work gives some of the key numbers, trends, and figures with Gun Violence statistics.
Editor’s Choice
- At least 90% of those whose an intimate partner kills are female teenagers.
- One out of five guns is sold without a background check.
- Gun violence statistics show that there are more gun stores than there are coffee shops in America.
- It is estimated that 6 million children in America are living in households with at least one loaded and unsecured firearm present.
- In 80% of the school assault incidents that took place, there was at least one person who knew of the event beforehand but stayed silent.
- Every single day in the United States, someone dies from an accidental shooting.
- Gun Violence statistics show that the chances of successfully defending oneself with a firearm are less than those of dialling the police.
- 56% of people in the U.S. feel that allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons in public will decrease crime in the country.
- Gun-related deaths in the United States have the highest cause of death rate.
- Approximately 380,000 firearms are reported stolen every year.
- In the U.S., the total number of gun deaths, including suicides, homicides, and accidental deaths, was about 23000 in the year 2024.
- The cost of violence that is associated with guns stands at approximately US$280 billion annually in the US.
- There are high gun violence crime rates among young adults, especially between the ages of 15 and 24.
- There is more prevalence of gun violence in urban areas than there is in rural areas.
- Rates of violent death caused by the use of rifles and handguns are considerably high among African American males aged between 15 and 34 years.
- Gun Violence statistics indicate that there would be a decline in the rate of gun violence if gun control were made stricter. Therefore, it is clear that the ready availability and accessibility of firearms aggravates the high incidences of gun violence in the U.S.
- The impact of gun violence not only affects individuals or families; it also has a broader economic and social effect.
- However, it is important to recognise that effective strategies to combat gun violence have to tackle its root causes, such as poverty, inequality, and mental health issues.
Key Facts
- In actual figures regarding gun deaths in the US, there are more gun retail stores than coffee retail shops. On a normal basis, 380,000 guns get absorbed every year, and one out of five guns gets sold without a criminal history check.
- More women are murdered in their partners ‘ homes than in any other place.
- Gun Violence statistics reveal that point out that the Gun supporters cause more damage than what they defend.
- Gun-related deaths are three times more than road deaths. There are 875 million guns in the world today, out of which civilians own 75% of the guns, but only 59% of the guns are registered.
- Gun Violence statistics show that 516 million firearms are possessed illegally in the world today. Every 16 hours, a woman is shot dead by her current or former partner.
- If an area has enough easy access to high-capacity firearms or assault weapons, the rate of death by firearm increases by 155%. The mere presence of a gun at home increases the chances of committing suicide by 300%.
- The financial impact resulting from incidences of gun violence in the United States is approximated to be $229 billion every year. The total number of mass shootings in the year 2022 in United States was 309.
- Men tend to own or live in households that possess a gun more than women by a ratio of 46:21.
Gun Violence Affecting Mental Health By Countries
(Reference: enterpriseappstoday.com)
Gun Violence statistics illustrate the proportion of the population with mental health issues, the number of guns owned per person, and the incidence of gun-related fatalities for various countries in the year 2021. The United States comes tops in all three figures in most instances. The details are as follows:
- United States: Mental illness (16.9%), total gun ownership rate (120.05%), incidence of gun deaths (12.2%).
- Australia: Prevalence of mental disorders (19.3%), total rate of gun ownership (14.5%), indicator of firearms deaths (1.04%).
- Canada: Rate of mental illness (14.9%), gun ownership statistics (34.7%), gun-related deaths (2.05%).
- France: Proportion of mentally ill individuals in the population (16.6%), prevalence of gun ownership (19.6%), and moand rtality caused by firearms (2.83%).
- Germany: Mental illness (15%), incidence of firearm possession (19.6%), deaths caused by guns (0.99%).
- India: Mental health (13.7%), gun ownership (5.3%), firing mortality (0.28%).
- Japan: Mental health concerns (10.5%), gun possession (0.3%), gun-related death (0.06%).
- Spain: Spanish population with mental disorders (18.3%), gun ownership rate (7.5%,) gun-related deaths (0.62%).
- Sweden has other populations diagnosed with mental illness (15.3%), gun ownership (23.1%), and gun-related deaths (1.60%).
- Spain has other populations diagnosed with mental disorders (14.4%), gun ownership (16.5%), and the population with gun-related deaths (1.95%).
Number of Gun Deaths in the United States
(Reference:statista.com)
- Over the past couple of years, the bottom line is that there have been increasing rates of gun violence in the United States.
- As per recent Gun Violence statistics, there have been more than 10,000 reported cases of homicide through the use of guns every year since the year 2016, with guns being the primary cause of murder in the state.
- This brings into perspective how increasing the rates of gun violence are in the country.
- Looking at 2024, the state of Mississippi exhibited the greatest gun violence in the US, with 29.7 violent incidents per 100,000 people, while Louisiana comprised 28.2%, respectively.
- On the opposing side, Rhode Island was the state with the lowest gun violence incidence, which stood at only 3.1.
- State laws that govern the possession and use of guns in the U.S. vary greatly from one State to another, thereby affecting the incidences of gun violence.
- Generally, States that have put in place and adhere to strict gun safety laws tend to record lower deaths due to gun violence, whereas states that are more liberal in their gun regulations record higher rates.
- In addition, some of the states that have stringent gun control laws are still plagued with high incidences of gun violence, owing to the illegal distribution of guns, which involves importing weapons from different states where gun possession is restricted.
Child-Related Gun Violence Statistics
- 90% of teenage deaths as a result of firearm-related dating violence are girls as of the present day.
- Black people are four times as likely to be murdered by their acquaintances of the opposite race.
- For instance, nearly 20% of gay and lesbian youths have been injured or threatened with a weapon in their schools.
- Children raised in most poverty-stricken regions are at an increased risk of murder by homicide than most children raised in affluent circumstances.
- Gun Violence statistics reveal that about 93% of the people responsible for shooting incidents within schools had their attack planned, with every such shooter posting some pictures or messages that were threatening to them earlier.
- In 4 out of 5 cases of shooting incidents in schools, at least one person was aware of the incident beforehand but did not make a report on it.
- According to the sharing of information studies, about 68% of the weapons used in the shootings are presented by the shooter’s residences, friends, and relatives, and vice versa.
- An estimated 80% of most gun suicides are committed with guns belonging to other family members. This means that in the U.S., about six million children are statistically more likely to be found in a house containing at least one loaded gun.
- The rate of homicide with a gun surpasses the rate of deaths attributed to drowning, and it is on record that gun violence accounts for the highest number of deaths in the United States.
- Moreover, for every ten gun violence deaths in America, there is one which involves individuals in the age bracket of nineteen years and below.
Gun Violence Demographics By Ethnic Background
(Source: ammo.com)
- Gun Violence statistics indicate that Gun violence is not directly caused by race. Nevertheless, some races experience gun violence at higher rates as compared to others.
- Compared to other races, Black Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are 70% more at risk of gun violence.
- Gun violence, or more specifically, gun attacks, can be aggravated by several factors, including inter-urban violence, extensive periods of low law enforcement, low imprisonment levels, and soft-on-crime requirements.
- In 2022, the Black population in America was the most affected by guns at a ratio of 20 per every 100,000 individuals.
- The threshold for the Hispanic population was 4.4 per 100,000 individuals, while for Native Americans, it was 4.3 per 100,000 individuals. On the other hand, rates for Asian Americans and White Americans were much lower, at 0.9 and 1.6 per 100,000, respectively.
- The pattern becomes slightly different when only looking at the deaths, disregarding any gun usage: The death per 100,000 rate for White Americans was 0.8, for Hispanics 1.4, Native Americans 4.5, and African Americans 3.4.
- The reasons for the higher risk of gun violence among black, Native American, and Hispanic individuals are not very well defined. Yet, the data demonstrates substantial differences across the racial spectrum in terms of violent death rates in the United States.
Gun Violence By Murder Rate
(Reference: enterpriseappstoday.com)
- The 2023 Gun Violence statistics provide evidence of the twenty nations with the highest murder rates per 1,000,000 inhabitants.
- It has been recorded that El Salvador has the first position with the highest homicide rate of 52.02%.
- Second on the list is Jamaica, with 43.85%, and the third highest rate is that of Lesotho, standing at 43.56%.
- Nations further down the table include:
- Honduras – 33.89%
- Belize – 33.79%
- Venezuela – 36.69%
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 36.54%
- South Africa – 36.4%
- Saint Kitts and Nevis – 36.09%
- Nigeria – 34.52%
- Bahamas – 31.96%
- Trinidad and Tobago – 30.65%
- Mexico – 29.07%
- Saint Martin – 27.73%
- Brazil – 27.38%
- Dominica – 25.59%
- Colombia – 25.34%
- Guatemala – 22.5%
- Saint Lucia – 21.44%
Types of Gun Violence
- Gun Violence: Up until the year 2024, in the United States, there have been over six hundred incidents of mass shootings, a situation where at least four people are shot in the same event. These events have been increasing as the proportion of cases of gun violence.
- Spousal Abuse: In the United States, about 54% of all female homicide rates with guns involve domestic violence, which makes it one of the deadly risks for women in violent relationships.
- The Issue of School Shootings: In 2024, there were over 150 recorded incidents of shootings in schools, which adds to the worrying trend of insecurity in schools.
Economic Impact
- Gun violence not only shocks the physical and psychological well-being of its victims, but it also has significant economic drawbacks.
- The economic impact of gun violence in the United States exceeds $280 billion per year. This amount takes into account direct costs, including medical care and security services, and indirect costs, such as income losses and the effects of enduring emotional pain.
- Every year, gun-related injuries account for about USD 3 billion in medical expenditure for US hospitals, largely covered by public health insurance systems where available.
- Gun violence, on average, contributes to wage loss and reduced productivity of roughly $50 billion annually because of factors such as disability, protracted psychological effects, and mortality.
Trends in Gun Ownership
- As of 2024, Gun Violence statistics estimated that there are nearly 400 million civilian-held guns in the United States, which amounts to roughly 1.2 guns for every person in the country. This figure has gradually increased over the previous ten years because of higher sales and more lenient laws in certain states regarding firearms.
- It remains a sociological reality that more men own guns (estimated to be about 45% of adult men) than women (approx. 15%), and there are more gun owners in the countryside than in the cities.
- According to surveys conducted in 2024, 60% of Americans are in favor of additional gun controls, for instance, background checks, restrictions on assault weapon sales, and red-flag laws.
- However, in combination with political factors, cultural aspects have ensured little progress, and what has been made is inconsistent.
- Some jurisdictions have enacted additional gun control measures, including universal background checks and limitations on high-capacity ammunition magazines, that attest to the fact that gun control is already ingrained in the culture in 2024.
- Conversely, however, several states have also relaxed controls, allowing more individuals to carry concealed weapons.
Conclusion
In the year 2024, the issue of gun violence continues to have a far-reaching impact on society. Gun Violence statistics reveal that more than 45000 individuals die, and billions are lost as a result. Hence, effective policies and, most importantly, change in people’s views have become increasingly necessary.
Overcoming gun violence is not only about reinventing the laws, however. It also deals with the strategic application of health solutions, especially mental health services and provision for safety in the communities.
FAQ.
Gun violence is a broad term that encompasses crimes, fatalities, and injuries inflicted or accomplished by the use of guns. It has a massive social cost, particularly in countries like the US, where it is the number one leading cause of mortality. The gun violence problem bothers not only families and communities but the whole economy as well. Every Year, it costs the US about $ 280 billion in terms of health costs, loss of economic productivity and mental anguish caused.
As estimated in the year 2024, there exist approximately 400 million privately owned guns in America. This is equal to 1.2 guns for every individual within the population. The number of retail establishments that deal both in wholesale and retail sales of guns outnumbers the ones selling coffee and coffee products. The statistics on gun ownership show that the percentage of men who own guns (45% of adult males) is higher than that of women (15%), with a disproportionate number of guns being owned in rural areas than in urban places.
Gun violence affects a very large proportion of the population, especially children and adolescents put in dating or domestic relationships. For instance, girls made up 90% of young people victims of dating violence with a firearm.
Gun violence affects Black people. Hispanics and Native Americans are also heavily affected by gun violence. For example, in 2022, the rate of gun-related deaths for Black Americans stood at 20 per 100,000, which is alarmingly higher than other racial groups.
By 2024, it is estimated that about 60% of the American population will favour the introduction of more restrictions on gun ownership, including a background check and a ban on the sale of assault weapons, among other measures. Conversely, state laws on these matters are quite different, with some states easing the terms of ownership while others enforcing even stricter measures.
Barry is a technology enthusiast with a passion for in-depth research on various technological topics. He meticulously gathers comprehensive statistics and facts to assist users. Barry's primary interest lies in understanding the intricacies of software and creating content that highlights its value. When not evaluating applications or programs, Barry enjoys experimenting with new healthy recipes, practicing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his child.
