Trends and Patterns in Firearm Violence, 1993-2023

• NCJ Number: 309428
• Author(s): Erika Harrell; Jennifer L. Truman; Katherine A. Fowler; Kristin Holland; Thomas R. Simon; Steven A. Sumner
• Date Published: November 2024
• Length: 41 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Special Reports
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication; Statistics

Abstract

This report examines trends and patterns in firearm violence from 1993 to 2023 using a combination of data sources to provide a broad perspective on fatal and nonfatal firearm violence in the Unites States that could not be achieved through any single source of information. It includes data on firearm type; incident location; victim and offender demographic characteristics and relationship; injury and treatment type; police notification; and victims’ self-protective behaviors. 

Estimates in this report are based primarily on data from BJS’s National Crime Victimization Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Vital Statistics System death certificate data queried through the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. Additional estimates come from the CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System, National Syndromic Surveillance Program, and Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The report is organized to present findings from each data source in separate sections.

Highlights:

• The rate of nonfatal firearm violence for persons age 12 or older declined 72% from 1993 to 2023, dropping from 7.3 to 2.0 victimizations per 1,000 persons, and varied from 1.2 to 2.3 per 1,000 during 2019 to 2023.
• About 64% of nonfatal firearm violence was reported to police during 2018–2022.
• The firearm homicide rate among persons age 12 or older fluctuated between 1993 and 2023, with a decline from 1993 to 2014 (from 8.4 to 4.0 homicides
  per 100,000 persons age 12 or older) before rising to 7.3 per 100,000 in 2021.
• From 2018 to 2022, on average, 80% of homicides were committed with a firearm.