Report Highlights:
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1.9 million Americans have died from firearm-related incidents between 1968 and 2025 (partial).
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Suicides accounted for 54.60% of all gun-related deaths between 1968 and 2025 (partial).
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In the past 57 years, men accounted for 84.86% (1,640,286) of gun deaths, while women accounted for 15.10% (291,661).
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Between 1968 and 2025, police shootings accounted for 1.02% gun deaths, and mass shootings accounted for 0.074% of reported gun deaths (partial).
Related Studies: Gun Violence Statistics | Guns in the U.S.: Analyzing At-Risk Demographics | Murders by Weapon Type
All sources used to compile the data in this report can be found HERE.
Methodology
This report analyzes all available gun-death research between 1966 and 2026.
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CDC WONDER Database: The primary source for firearm-related mortality data, this database compiles information from death certificates dating back to 1968. All data for 2024 and 2025 are provisional and may be subject to revision.
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Mass Shooting Data: To ensure precision, mass shooting statistics were cross-referenced with newspaper articles. This data set includes only targeted attacks, excluding incidents involving gang violence or crimes unrelated to the shooting itself.
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Defensive Gun Use Deaths: Information on defensive firearm-related deaths was gathered from various studies and surveys conducted from 1987 onward. This includes data from the Gun Violence Archive, which collects firearm-related death data from over 7,000 news publications. These figures may under count the true number of firearm-related deaths due to limited reporting in certain incidents.
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Stray-Bullet Deaths: The United States does not maintain a dedicated database of stray-bullet deaths. As a result, this information was compiled in Ammo.com’s database, drawing on all available news sources and studies.
Note: Each dataset was rigorously cross-verified, where possible, to ensure reliability and account for discrepancies in reporting standards across sources.
U.S. Firearms Deaths per Year
Between 1968 and 2024, there were 1,931,914 firearm-related deaths in the United States. Of these, 1,640,286 were men and 291,661 were women, reflecting the disproportionate impact of firearm-related incidents on men.
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Peak Year: The highest number of firearm-related deaths occurred in 2021, with 41,866 men and 6,964 women succumbing to gunshot wounds. This marked a record year for both genders.
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Lowest Year: The fewest firearm-related deaths were recorded in 1968, with 17,666 men and 3,815 women losing their lives to gun violence. 3, 4, 5
Over the past 57 years, men were 5.62 times more likely to die from a gunshot wound than women.
Firearms Deaths by Year
How Many Firearm Deaths by Suicide?
Over half of all firearm-related deaths in the United States are attributed to suicides, accounting for 54% of all gun-related fatalities between 1966 and 2025. On average, 18,281 suicide-related gun deaths occur each year.
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Peak Year: The highest number of firearm-related suicides was recorded in 2023, with 27,308 deaths.
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Lowest Year: The fewest firearm-related suicides occurred in 1968, with 10,911 deaths. 3, 4, 5
Note: Data in this section include partial data from 2025.
How Many Firearms Deaths in Mass Shootings?
Between 1966 and 2025, there were 204 mass shootings in the United States, resulting in 1,454 deaths and accounting for 0.07% of all firearm deaths. On average, 24 people die each year in mass shooting incidents. 2
Mass shootings in this report are defined as incidents where four or more people were killed (excluding the shooter) in a public place. The definition excludes events involving gang violence or incidents tied to other crimes.
Continue reading U.S. Firearm Deaths Per Year: Updated 2026 on Ammo.com