WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States has a grim and persistent problem: gun deaths.
Despite a small but notable drop in fatalities for the second consecutive year, nearly 47,000 Americans lost their lives to gun-related injuries in 2023.
That’s still one of the highest annual totals on record, and experts say the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 46,728 deaths in 2023 include a mix of murders, suicides, law enforcement shootings, accidental discharges, and undetermined causes.
While the number is down from 48,204 in 2022 and 48,830 in 2021, it remains troublingly high — especially given the uptick in gun suicides, which reached record levels last year.
More Suicides Than Murders
When Americans think of gun violence, they often picture crime scenes and mass shootings. Yet, more than half of all gun-related fatalities are self-inflicted.
In 2023, 27,300 people died by gun suicide — accounting for 58% of all gun deaths. Meanwhile, 17,927 Americans were murdered with firearms, making up 38% of the total. The rest?
- 604 deaths involved law enforcement actions.
- 463 deaths were accidental.
- 434 deaths remained under investigation or had undetermined circumstances.
Gun suicides are on the rise — an upward trend that shows no sign of slowing. In contrast, gun murders have dropped 14% since the record-breaking numbers of 2021.
Decline in Gun Murders?
Public safety experts credit several factors for the recent drop in gun murders, including a boost in community policing initiatives, enhanced mental health support, and a surge in targeted violence prevention programs.
These efforts appear to be making a difference, at least on the surface.
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But let’s not get too comfortable just yet. Despite the decline, firearms were still involved in nearly 8 out of 10 murders in 2023 — one of the highest percentages since 1968.
The reality is that, even with progress, America’s rate of gun murders per capita remains alarmingly high compared to many other developed nations.
The numbers may be moving in the right direction, but the underlying problem remains deeply rooted and far from solved.
Who Tops the List?
The data gets even more complicated when you break it down by state. In 2023, some states stood out as particularly deadly, while others saw remarkably low rates of gun deaths.
Top 5 States with the Highest Gun Death Rates (per 100,000)
Lowest Gun Death Rates (per 100,000)
While some states are consistently high or low on the list, others fluctuate year by year, hinting at the impact of local policies, socioeconomic conditions, and cultural factors.
U.S. Still Leading the Pack
Despite small improvements, America’s gun death rate is still shockingly high compared to other developed nations.
In 2016 (the most recent global data), the U.S. had a gun death rate of 10.6 per 100,000 people according to PBS.
By contrast:
That makes the U.S. an outlier among wealthy countries, but it doesn’t even approach the staggering levels seen in some Latin American nations, like El Salvador (39.2 per 100,000) and Venezuela (38.7 per 100,000).
How Many Mass Shootings Are There?
America’s gun psychopathy continues: 36 mass shootings so far in 2023 (4 or more people shot, including the perpetrator when applicable). 💔💔💔 #GunSenseNow
The latest, with at least 10 killed & 10 wounded, in Monterey Park, Calif.: https://t.co/Ar3x1nNTEX
— MassShootingTracker (@massshootingtrk) January 22, 2023
When it comes to gun violence in America, mass shootings tend to dominate headlines and spark intense public debate.
They’re shocking, they’re tragic, and they’re terrifying — but in reality, they make up only a small fraction of all gun-related deaths. That paradox is part of what makes mass shootings so uniquely horrifying.
Defining mass shootings is trickier than it sounds. Different organizations use different criteria, and that can significantly impact the numbers.
For example:
- The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) defines a mass shooting as any incident where four or more people are shot, regardless of whether anyone dies. According to their data, 722 people died in mass shooting incidents in 2023.
- The FBI, on the other hand, takes a more restrictive approach, labeling incidents as “active shooter situations” if one or more individuals actively engage in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. By this definition, the FBI recorded 105 fatalities from active shooter incidents in 2023.
While both figures seem starkly different, they illustrate how even a slight difference in definition can paint vastly different pictures of the problem.
Handguns Still Dominate
Despite the heated debate over “assault weapons”, the majority of gun homicides in 2023 involved handguns — accounting for 53% of all firearm murders.
Rifles, including those often labeled as “assault weapons”, were involved in just 4% of cases, while shotguns made up 1%.
This breakdown shows that while high-profile mass shootings often involve rifles, the everyday reality of gun violence is dominated by handgun use.
What’s Next?
The trends hint at a complex picture: fewer gun murders, but more gun suicides. The decline in murders may be promising, but the rise in suicides demands urgent attention. Mental health advocates are calling for better support systems, while gun control activists continue to push for tighter regulations on firearm access.
As the numbers change year by year, one thing remains consistent: America’s struggle with gun violence continues to defy simple solutions. The latest data serves as both a reminder of small progress and a stark reality check on the enduring crisis.
Stay tuned for updates as new data becomes available and the nation continues to grapple with one of its most pressing public health challenges.