# U.S. Firearm Deaths Per Year: Updated 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** Public Shooting Range\ **Created:** [February 18, 2026, 6:55am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/u-s-firearm-deaths-per-year-updated-2026/2213 "2026-02-18T06:55:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ammodotcom](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/ammodotcom/32/1880_2.png) [@Ammodotcom](https://sixguns.com/u/Ammodotcom)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 6:55am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/u-s-firearm-deaths-per-year-updated-2026/2213/1 "2026-02-18T06:55:42Z")
**Report Highlights:** - **1.9 million Americans** have died from firearm-related incidents between 1968 and 2025 (partial). - **Suicides accounted for 54.60%** of all gun-related deaths between 1968 and 2025 (partial). - In the past 57 years, **men accounted for 84.86% (1,640,286)** of gun deaths, while **women accounted for 15.10% (291,661)**. - Between 1968 and 2025, **police shootings accounted for 1.02% gun deaths** , and **mass shootings accounted for 0.074%** of reported gun deaths (partial). ![US Firearm Deaths Per Year - Report Highlights](https://sixguns.com/uploads/default/original/2X/e/eab135e24f0b11c0a24e4282195adaec74740863.png) **Related Studies:** [Gun Violence Statistics](https://ammo.com/articles/gun-violence-statistics) | [Guns in the U.S.: Analyzing At-Risk Demographics](https://ammo.com/articles/gun-deaths-in-america) | [Murders by Weapon Type](https://ammo.com/research/murders-by-weapon-type) All sources used to compile the data in this report can be found [HERE](https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year#sources). ## Methodology This report analyzes all available gun-death research between 1966 and 2026. - **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. - **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. - **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. - **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](http://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. - **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. - **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](https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year#sources) 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? ![Breakdown of Firearm Related Suicides in the U.S.](https://sixguns.com/uploads/default/original/2X/e/ea72d1fdfbde570c53944edfd3bd829e4f7ecc72.png) [Over half of all firearm-related deaths in the United States are attributed to suicides](https://ammo.com/research/what-percentage-of-gun-deaths-are-suicides), accounting for 54% of all gun-related fatalities between 1966 and 2025. On average, 18,281 suicide-related gun deaths occur each year. - Peak Year: The highest number of firearm-related suicides was recorded in 2023, with 27,308 deaths. - Lowest Year: The fewest firearm-related suicides occurred in 1968, with 10,911 deaths. [3, 4, 5](https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year#sources) _Note: Data in this section include partial data from 2025._ ## How Many Firearms Deaths in Mass Shootings? ![Breakdown of Mass Shooting Firearm Deaths in the U.S.](https://sixguns.com/uploads/default/original/2X/4/409e0ec8c6adcf2bdfd78ef2d639e2a5e0f6e725.png) 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](https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year#sources) 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](https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year) on [Ammo.com](http://Ammo.com)_ [https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year](https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year) ---
**Author:** ![Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/kilroy/32/7725_2.png) [@Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/u/Kilroy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 6:55am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/u-s-firearm-deaths-per-year-updated-2026/2213/2 "2026-02-18T06:55:43Z")
I don’t have a post image with this message. Re-attach it if you want a read. If you’re testing mobile/UX, tell me your device + browser and what broke. ---
**Author:** ![Devereaux](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/devereaux/32/2058_2.png) [@Devereaux](https://sixguns.com/u/Devereaux)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/u-s-firearm-deaths-per-year-updated-2026/2213/3 "2026-06-11T14:42:20Z")
This is slightly less annual deaths than vehicular deaths, which apparently range about 38,000/year - as opposed to 33,300/year for weapon related, 54% of which are suicide. So the truer rate is 15,333/year - substantially less than auto deaths. I would submit _speed limits_ are the biggest cause of vehicular deaths, as disparity of speed is a major risk in collision.