1,489 Gun Deaths in Missouri
Based on most recent available finalized data from CDC (2022).
629
HOMICIDES
806
SUICIDES
54
OTHER
76
CHILDREN & TEENS AGES 1-17
Key Takeaways
Missouri had the 5th highest gun death rate in the country overall in 2022. The overall gun death rate increased 43% in 2022 compared to 2021. From 2013 to 2022, the gun death rate increased 68%.
Missouri had the 5th highest gun homicide rate and the 9th highest gun suicide rate in the country in 2022.
Firearms were the leading cause of death among children and teens ages 1-17 in 2022.
In 2021, there were at least 143 domestic violence-related homicides in Missouri. 73% were by firearm.
An average of one person killed every six hours.
Gun violence costs Missourians $16.3 billion annually.
Firearm Homicide in Missouri
4X
Males were four times as likely to die by gun homicide than females.
69%
Black people were 17 times as likely to die by gun homicide than their white counterparts; 69% of all gun homicides in 2022 were of Black individuals.
2X
Hispanic/Latino people were twice as likely as their white counterparts to die by gun homicide.
7X
Black females were over 7 times as likely as their white counterparts to die by gun homicide.
28X
Young Black males ages 15-34 make up less than 2% of the state’s population but accounted for nearly 37% of all homicide fatalities in 2022. They were 28 times as likely to die by firearm homicide than their white counterparts.
Firearm Suicide in Missouri
7X
Males were seven times as likely to die by firearm suicide than females.
58%
White males over the age of 34 accounted for 22% of the population in Missouri but 58% of all firearm suicide deaths in 2022.
42%
42% of all gun suicide deaths in 2022 were over the age of 54.
Guns are used in the majority of homicides & suicides.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death. Age-adjusted Gun Deaths and Rates per 100,000. WONDER Online Database, 1999-2022; & WISQARS. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) and Cost of Injury Modules. 2020-2022
