Trends and Patterns in Firearm Violence, 1993–2023

Press release

In recent years, 90% of all firearm violence involved a handgun

WASHINGTON ― In 2023, the rate of nonfatal firearm violence was 2.0 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, down 72% from 7.3 per 1,000 in 1993, according to Trends and Patterns in Firearm Violence, 1993–2023, a new report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in collaboration with colleagues from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonfatal firearm violence includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault victimizations in which the offender had, showed or used a firearm. Fatal firearm violence includes fatal firearm-involved injuries inflicted by another person with intent to injure or kill and excludes firearm homicides due to legal intervention and operations of war.

From 1993 to 2023, nonfatal firearm violence victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older ranged from 7.4 victimizations in 1994 to 1.1 in 2015. From 2019 to 2023, the rate ranged from 1.2 per 1,000 (2021) to 2.3 per 1,000 (2022). The firearm homicide rate among persons age 12 or older declined from 1993 (8.4 homicides per 100,000) to 2014 (4.0 per 100,000) before rising 2019 through 2021.

Eighty percent of homicides from 2018 to 2022 were committed with a firearm, while 90% of both fatal and nonfatal firearm violence involved the use of a handgun. Males (10.6 per 100,000) had higher rates of firearm homicide than females (1.9 per 100,000) during 2018–2022. Males (2.0 per 1,000) also had higher rates of nonfatal firearm victimization than females (1.2 per 1,000) in the same period. Persons ages 18 to 24 (14.2 homicides per 100,000) had a higher firearm homicide rate during 2018–2022 than persons in any other age group. In 2023, about 1 in 20 male and 1 in 50 female high school students had carried a firearm at least once in the past 12 months for a reason other than hunting or sport.

“Forty-two percent of nonfatal firearm violence occurred in or near the victim’s home during 2018–2022,” said Kevin M. Scott, Ph.D., BJS Acting Director. “And about 64% of nonfatal firearm violence committed during this period was reported to police.”

Findings are from several data sources which provide a broad perspective on fatal and nonfatal firearm violence in the United States. These sources include BJS’s National Crime Victimization Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System, National Violent Death Reporting System, National Syndromic Surveillance Program and Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Trends and Patterns in Firearm Violence, 1993–2023, was written by Erika Harrell, PhD, and Jennifer L. Truman, PhD, BJS Statisticians; and Katherine A. Fowler, PhD; Kristin Holland, PhD; Thomas R. Simon, PhD; and Steven A. Sumner, MD, MSc, of the Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This report, related documents and additional information about BJS’s statistical publications and programs are available on the BJS website at bjs.ojp.gov.

About the Bureau of Justice Statistics

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating reliable statistics on crime and criminal justice in the United States. Kevin M. Scott, Ph.D., is the acting director. More information about BJS and criminal justice statistics can be found at bjs.ojp.gov.

About the Office of Justice Programs

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime; advance equity and fairness in the administration of justice; assist victims; and uphold the rule of law. More information about OJP and its program offices – the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking– can be found at www.ojp.gov.

About the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (the Injury Center), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services works to protect Americans from injury and violence and provides crucial research, programs, and services that protect all Americans and foster community environments where individuals, families, and communities can thrive. Allison Arwady, MD, Ph.D., is the director. More information about the Injury Center can be found at www.cdc.gov/injury/.