The rate of firearm‑related deaths in our nation has been rising and reached a near
three‑decade high in 2021. This crisis is being driven, in particular, by increases in
firearm‑related homicides over the last decade and firearm‑related suicides over
the last two decades. Across all firearm‑related deaths in 2022, more than half
(56.1%) were from suicide, 40.8% were from homicide, and the remaining were
from legal intervention, unintentional injuries, and injuries of unknown intent.
The age‑adjusted rate of firearm‑related suicide increased by 20.1% from 2012
(6.3 per 100,000) to 2022 (7.6 per 100,000), with an absolute increase from 20,666
to 27,032 deaths over the same period. The age‑adjusted rate of firearm‑related
homicide increased by 62.5% from 2012 (3.8 per 100,000) to 2022 (6.2 per 100,000),
with an absolute increase from 11,622 to 19,651 deaths over the same period.
Despite these increases over time in firearm‑related deaths, the number of firearm‑related homicides decreased from 20,958 (6.7 per 100,000 [age‑adjusted]) in 2021 to 19,651 (6.2 per 100,000 [age‑adjusted]) in 2022.
Furthermore, the provisional firearm‑related homicide rate for 2023 (part‑year) is lower than the rate in 2022.4 The provisional firearm‑related suicide rate for 2023 (part‑year) remains comparable to the rate in 2022. When measured over a decade (2012 to 2022), children and younger populations experienced a staggering increase in firearm‑related suicide rates: 43% for 25‑34‑year‑olds (6.5 per 100,000 [crude rate]) in 2012 to (9.3 per 100,000 [crude rate]) in 2022, 45% for 15‑24‑year‑olds (5.0 per 100,000 [crude rate]) in 2012 to (7.3 per 100,000 [crude rate]) in 2022, and 68% for children aged 10‑14 (0.50 per
100,000 [crude rate]) in 2012 to (0.84 per 100,000 [crude rate]) in 2022 (Figure 3).2
The rate of firearm-related deaths in our nation has been rising and reached a near three-decade high in 2021.
The CDC defines legal intervention as, “firearm injuries inflicted by the police or other law
enforcement agents acting in the line of duty.” The term legal intervention is a commonly used external cause of injury classification. It does not indicate the legality of the circumstances surrounding the death. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024, March). About firearm injury and death. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/firearm‑violence/about/index.html)
First published in the U.S. Surgeon General website Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America (hhs.gov)
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