Get The Facts
As the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “You’re entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own facts.” That’s why knowing the facts about gun violence is critically important as we educate ourselves and others about its impact, advocate for common ground gun laws and participate in programs that help make our communities safer for everyone.
The Impact of Guns in the U.S.
- Every year in America some 45,000 lives are lost to gun violence; 2/3 are suicides and accidental deaths while another 1/3 (or 14,500) are homicides.
Source: Gun Violence Archive - An estimated 84,775 Americans suffered a non-fatal gun injury in 2020 or 200 a day.
Source: Everytown for Gun Safety - 19.9 million firearms were sold in the U.S. last year, the second busiest year on record after the frenzied buying during the pandemic.
Source: Forbes Magazine - Gun violence costs the U.S. economy at least $280 billion every year.
Source: Everytown for Gun Safety
The Impact of Guns on American Families
- In 2021 some 30 million children lived in homes with firearms, up 7 million from 2015.
Source: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - 4.6 million children live in homes with at least one loaded, unlocked gun.
Source: Everytown for Gun Safety - Access to a gun in the home increases the risk of death by suicide by 300%.
Source: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - At least once a week, a toddler fires a gun, killing or injuring himself or others.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
The Impact of Guns on Public Health & Safety in the U.S.
- Suicide attempts using a gun are fatal 85% of the time.
Source: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - Every 16 hours, a woman is shot dead by her current or former partner.
Source: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - Most school shootings occur with a gun belonging to someone in the family, usually a parent.
Source: Giffords Law Center - Only about 3% of violent crimes are committed by people with serious mental health illness.
Source: The American Psychological Association
The Impact of Gun Violence on the American Psyche
- Four in 10 Americans believe it’s at least somewhat likely they’ll be a victim of gun violence in the next five years.
Source: The Trace - A recent national poll found 58% of respondents said they or someone they care for had personally experienced gun violence.
Source: Everytown for Gun Safety - A majority of U.S. teens fear a shooting could happen at their school.
Source: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - Nearly 9 in 10 Americans (89%) say they’re concerned about school shootings.
Source: Navigator Research for GVPedia
The Impact of Gun Laws in the U.S.
- Nearly two in three respondents (64%) said gun laws in the U.S. should be stronger.
Source: Suffolk University and USA TODAY - Gun-related suicides and deaths declined by 49% in states with mandatory background checks for all gun purchases.
Source: Giffords Law Center - The current federal background check system applies only to about 60% of gun sales, leaving 40% of gun sales (online and gun shows) completed without a background check.
Source: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - In its 2021 evaluation of the strength of gun laws in the 50 states, Kansas dropped to 45th and Missouri fell to 47th. California remained 1st with the strongest gun laws, Arkansas the weakest.
Source: Giffords Law Center
The Impact of Guns in the U.S Compared to Other Countries
- Americans own 393 million firearms or 40% of the entire world’s civilian firearms.
Source: Small Arms Survey based in Geneva, Switzerland - Americans kill each other with guns at 26 times the rate of other high-income nations.
Source: Everytown for Gun Safety - American children are 12 times more likely to be killed by a gun than children in other countries.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - In Japan, being killed by a gun is as likely as being killed by lightning in the U.S., roughly one in a million.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)