Gun Violence in the U.S.
Updated Annual Gun Violence Data Is Out Now
We don’t have to live with gun violence as a normal part of American life
Our team at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions includes highly experienced researchers and public health-trained advocates to address gun violence as an epidemic-level public health emergency. Because gun violence disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations, we center our work on addressing these disparities and seek insights from those most affected to develop meaningful solutions.
This approach combines evidence-based solutions and effective advocacy to save lives.
New at the Center
New Report Highlights U.S. 2023 Gun Deaths: Suicide by Firearm at Record Levels for Third Straight Year
Report analyzing CDC data finds that 58% of total firearm fatalities in 2023 were suicides; suicides have accounted for majority of firearm deaths every year since 1995
A Roadmap For Safety: Policies to Reduce Gun Violence in Michigan
The Center has a new policy roadmap to assist Michigan legislators as they seek to improve state law and protect public health.
Washington Passes Permit-to-Purchase Law
Washington has officially become the latest state to enact a permit-to-purchase law, also known as Firearm Purchaser Licensing. Thirteen states and Washington, D.C. have passed some form of Firearm Purchaser Licensing.
30 Years of Evidence, Impact, and Solutions
The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Bloomberg School of Public Health celebrated 30 years of action.
Center Releases Implementation Guide for Indiana’s Extreme Risk Protection Order Law
The Jake Laird Law (JLL) is Indiana’s extreme risk protection order or “red flag” law.
The Supreme Court Upholds Regulations on Ghost Guns
The Supreme Court defended public safety by upholding federal regulations on ghost guns.
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Gun Violence in the United States: Examining the Gun Suicide Epidemic
Gun suicides account for more than half of all total gun deaths and are growing at an alarming rate as the total number of gun suicide deaths reached record highs for the third consecutive year. Our analysis of the most current data available found 46,728 people, the third-highest on record, died from guns in the U.S. in 2023, including 27,300 suicides, an all-time high for the country.
The Geography of Gun Violence
Gun death rates vary widely across the United States due to differences in socio-economic factors, demographics, and, importantly, gun policies. In general, the states with the highest gun death rates tend to be states in the South or Mountain West, with weaker gun laws and higher levels of gun ownership, while gun death rates are lower in the Northeast, where gun violence prevention laws are stronger.
“Other” gun death rates include legal intervention, unintentional, and undetermined. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death. WONDER Online Database, 2018-2023.
Quick Facts From 2023 CDC Data
46,728
In 2023, 46,728 people died by guns, marking the third-highest number of gun-related deaths ever recorded in the United States.
27,300
27,300 people died by gun suicide in 2023, which reached the highest on record. Since 2019, there has been a 12% increase in the gun suicide death rate.
6/10
Nearly 6 out of every 10 gun deaths were suicides in the United States.
2,566
Gun deaths remain the leading cause of death overall among young people ages 1-17, with 2,566 young lives lost in 2023.
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Center for Gun Violence Solutions
We address gun violence as a public health emergency and utilize objective, non-partisan research to develop solutions which inform, fuel and propel advocacy to measurably lower gun violence. The Center applies our unique blend of research and advocacy to advance five priority evidence-based gun violence prevention policies. Our research shows that, when enacted in combination, these policies have the potential to save thousands of lives.
The Public Health Approach to Prevent Gun Violence
A public health approach to prevent gun violence addresses both firearm access and the factors that contribute to and protect from gun violence. This multidisciplinary approach brings together a range of experts across sectors—including researchers, advocates, legislators, impacted communities, community-based organizations, and others—in a common effort to develop and implement equitable, evidence-based solutions.
A Successful Example of the Public Health Approach
The public health approach to tackling public health crises in America has been used over the last century to eradicate diseases like polio, reduce smoking deaths, and make cars safer. This public health approach has saved millions of lives. We can learn from the public health successes — like car safety — and apply these lessons to preventing gun violence.
Sources: National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA). Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rates, 1899-2022; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Mortality 1968-2022 on CDC WONDER Online Database.
One of the greatest American public health successes is our nation's work to make cars safer. To reduce gun violence, we should apply this same time-tested public health approach.
Firearm Violence
For each firearm death, many more people are shot and survive their injuries, are shot at but not physically injured, or witness firearm violence. Many experience firearm violence in other ways, by living in impacted communities with high levels of violence, losing loved ones to firearm violence, or being threatened with a firearm. Others are fearful to walk in their neighborhoods, attend events, or send their child to school. In short, firearm violence is public health epidemic that has lasting impacts on the health and well-being of everyone on this country.
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