Last updated on: 8/29/2018 | Author: ProCon.org

US Gun Deaths by Year

Suicides, Homicides, Unintentional Deaths, Legal Intervention Deaths, Deaths from Undetermined Consequences

 
I. All Firearm Deaths II. Firearm Suicides III. Firearm Homicides
IV. Unintentional Firearm Deaths V. Legal Intervention Firearm Deaths VI. Firearm Deaths of Undetermined Intent
   

 

 

 I. All Firearm Deaths

During the 18-year period from 1999 to 2016, 2016 had the most firearm suicides (22,938), homicides (14,415), and the most firearm deaths from legal intervention (510). 1999 had the most unintentional firearm deaths (824) and the most firearm deaths with undetermined intent (324). Overall, firearm deaths were up 33.9% from 1999 to 2016.
 
 
Firearm Deaths, All Ages: 1999-2016
  Suicides   Homicides   Unintentional   Legal Intervention   Undetermined Intent    
Year % of Total
Firearm Deaths
for Year*		   % of Total
Firearm Deaths
for Year		   % of Total
Firearm Deaths
for Year		   % of Total
Firearm Deaths
for Year		   % of Total
Firearm Deaths
for Year		   Total
1999
16,599
57.5%
 
10,828
37.5%
 
824
2.9%
 
299
1.0%
 
324
1.1%
  28,874
2000
16,586
57.9%
 
10,801
37.7%
 
776
2.8%
 
270
0.9%
 
230
0.8%
  28,663
2001
16,869
57.0%
 
11,348
38.4%
 
802
2.7%
 
323
1.1%
 
231
0.8%
  29,573
2002
17,108
56.6%
 
11,829
39.1%
 
762
2.5%
 
300
1.0%
 
243
0.8%
  30,242
2003
16,907
56.1%
 
11,920
39.6%
 
730
2.4%
 
347
1.2%
 
232
0.8%
  30,136
2004
16,750
56.6%
 
11,624
39.3%
 
649
2.2%
 
311
1.1%
 
235
0.8%
  29,569
2005
17,002
55.4%
 
12,352
40.2%
 
789
2.6%
 
330
1.1%
 
221
0.7%
  30,694
2006
16,883
54.6%
 
12,791
41.4%
 
642
2.1%
 
360
1.2%
 
220
0.7%
  30,896
2007
17,352
55.6%
 
12,632
40.5%
 
613
2.0%
 
351
1.1%
 
276
0.9%
  31,224
2008
18,223
57.7%
 
12,179
38.5%
 
592
1.9%
 
326
1.0%
 
273
0.9%
  31,593
2009
18,735
59.8%
 
11,493
36.7%
 
554
1.8%
 
333
1.1%
 
232
0.7%
  31,347
2010
19,392
61.2%
 
11,078
35.0%
 
606
1.9%
 
344
1.1%
 
252
0.8%
  31,672
2011
19,990
62.0%
 
11,068
34.2%
 
591
1.8%
 
454
1.4%
 
248
0.8%
  32,351
2012
20,666
61.6%
 
11,622
34.6%
 
548
1.6%
 
471
1.4%
 
256
0.8%
  33,563
2013
21,175
63.0%
 
11,208
32.8%
 
505
1.5%
 
467
1.4%
 
281
0.8%
  33,636
2014
21,386
63.7%
 
11,008
32.6%
 
461
1.4%
 
464
1.4%
 
275
0.8%
  33,594
2015
22,018
60.7%
 
12,979
35.8%
 
489
1.3%
 
484
1.3%
 
282
0.8%
  36,252
2016
22,938
59.3%
 
14,415
37.3%
 
495
1.3%
 
510
1.3%
 
300
0.8%
  38,658
Total
336,579
58.8%
 
213,175
37.2%
 
11,428
2.0%
 
6,744
1.2%
 
4,611
0.8%
  572,537
Average
Per Year		 18,699   11,843   635   375   256   31,808

*Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth (one decimal) so each year’s percentages may not add up to 100% exactly.
 
   

 

 

 II. Firearm Suicides

There were 336,579 firearm suicides between 1999 and 2016. Firearms were the leading cause of suicide, representing 51.8% of all suicides. Suffocation was the second most frequent cause with 152,684 deaths. Adults 65 years old and older were most often the victims of gun suicides with 78,706 deaths between 1999 and 2016 (23.4% of total firearm suicides), with the most suicides in this age group (5,756) occurring in 2016. Overall, firearm suicides were up 38.2% from 1999 to 2016.
 
 
Firearm Suicides by Age, 1999-2016
Year 5-9 10-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Age
Unknown		 Total
1999 0 103 2,315 2,621 3,097 2,677 1,860 3,921 5 16,599
2000 0 110 2,267 2,453 3,191 2,858 1,833 3,869 5 16,586
2001 0 90 2,130 2,564 3,030 3,023 2,083 3,943 6 16,869
2002 0 86 2,088 2,399 3,157 3,136 2,234 4,006 2 17,108
2003 1 73 2,075 2,381 2,927 3,279 2,317 3,854 0 16,907
2004 0 59 2,104 2,283 2,868 3,349 2,328 3,756 3 16,750
2005 0 84 1,962 2,269 2,855 3,472 2,470 3,889 1 17,002
2006 0 62 1,978 2,150 2,821 3,481 2,562 3,828 1 16,883
2007 0 53 1,900 2,306 2,879 3,531 2,786 3,895 2 17,352
2008 0 50 2,009 2,357 2,796 3,789 3,079 4,143 0 18,223
2009 0 64 2,002 2,379 2,874 3,975 3,191 4,248 2 18,735
2010 1 80 2,046 2,594 2,914 4,092 3,387 4,276 2 19,392
2011 1 91 2,168 2,740 2,837 4,100 3,522 4,526 5 19,990
2012 1 104 2,218 2,760 2,924 4,113 3,747 4,796 3 20,666
2013 1 137 2,210 2,987 2,948 4,057 3,809 5,116 3 21,175
2014 0 174 2,280 2,834 2,839 3,960 3,922 5,376 1 21,386
2015 1 139 2,461 3,118 2,952 3,882 3,951 5,511 3 22,018
2016 0 160 2,683 3,298 3,099 3,873 4,067 5,756 2 22,938
Total 6 1,719 38,896 46,403 53,008 64,647 53,148 78,706 46 336,579
Average
Per Year		 0 96 2,161 2,578 2,945 3,592 2,953 4,373 3 18,699

*There were no firearm suicides for children under 5.
 
   

 

 

 III. Firearm Homicides


There were 213,175 firearm homicides between 1999 and 2016. Firearms were the leading cause of homicide, representing 67.7% of all homicides. Cuts or piercing (such as with a knife) were the second most frequent cause with 34,086 deaths. 15-24-year-olds were most often the victims of gun homicides with 75,151 deaths between 1999 and 2016, with the most deaths (4,827) occurring in 2006. Overall, firearm homicides were up 30.6% from 1999 to 2016.
 
 
   

 

 

Firearm Homicides by Age, 1999-2016
Year <1 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Age
Unknown		 Total
1999 8 50 61 163 4,038 3,048 1,868 893 373 311 15 10,828
2000 12 28 50 137 3,963 3,074 1,906 959 367 293 12 10,801
2001 11 55 59 121 4,200 3,308 1,978 934 364 307 11 11,348
2002 9 49 55 150 4,317 3,465 2,042 1,025 409 295 13 11,829
2003 8 40 48 139 4,410 3,540 1,941 1,110 394 272 18 11,920
2004 6 36 45 139 4,127 3,503 1,895 1,062 468 322 21 11,624
2005 6 37 44 143 4,499 3,780 2,010 1,097 405 322 9 12,352
2006 6 42 62 175 4,827 3,767 1,987 1,185 468 264 8 12,791
2007 15 48 47 154 4,669 3,751 2,038 1,159 446 296 9 12,632
2008 9 56 44 143 4,394 3,612 1,966 1,146 489 318 2 12,179
2009 11 55 53 115 4,051 3,300 1,869 1,152 520 361 6 11,493
2010 11 43 58 107 3,889 3,331 1,673 1,097 533 331 5 11,078
2011 7 48 55 107 3,825 3,271 1,718 1,147 546 344 0 11,068
2012 5 45 67 124 3,931 3,427 1,887 1,181 589 366 0 11,622
2013 12 39 48 94 3,704 3,372 1,843 1,158 573 357 8 11,208
2014 5 47 58 115 3,614 3,274 1,843 1,141 541 369 1 11,008
2015 8 50 69 121 4,140 3,996 2,197 1,299 681 417 1 12,979
2016 11 75 68 195 4,553 4,510 2,555 1,420 738 400 1 14,415
Total 160 842 991 2,342 75,151 63,329 35,216 20,165 8,904 5,942 140 213,175
Average
Per Year		 9 47 55 130 4,175 3,518 1,956 1,120 495 330 8 11,843
 
   

 

 

 IV. Unintentional Firearm Deaths


There were 11,428 unintentional firearm deaths between 1999 and 2016. Firearms were the 16th leading cause of unintentional death representing 0.5% of all unintentional deaths. Traffic accidents were the leading cause with 702,925 deaths. 25-34-year-olds were most often the victims of unintentional gun deaths with 1,875 deaths between 1999 and 2016 (16.4% of total unintentional firearm deaths), with the most deaths in that age range (143) occurring in 1999. Overall, unintentional firearm deaths were down 39.9% from 1999 to 2016.
 
 
   

 

 

Unintentional Firearm Deaths by Age, 1999-2016
Year <1 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Age Unknown Total
1999 0 12 19 57 251 143 136 92 48 66 0 824
2000 1 18 18 49 202 131 153 78 50 76 0 776
2001 0 15 18 39 206 122 146 103 69 82 2 802
2002 1 11 14 34 210 143 123 95 56 75 0 762
2003 0 7 13 36 200 120 118 92 62 82 0 730
2004 1 14 13 35 172 100 97 106 35 76 0 649
2005 1 22 15 37 203 130 114 108 67 92 0 789
2006 0 13 18 23 193 113 74 84 49 75 0 642
2007 1 18 20 26 155 94 91 82 57 69 0 613
2008 0 21 12 29 132 89 85 99 57 68 0 592
2009 1 15 12 20 132 99 76 61 60 78 0 554
2010 0 25 11 26 145 107 91 89 50 62 0 606
2011 4 25 16 29 130 86 66 87 64 84 0 591
2012 6 23 7 22 119 90 64 79 69 69 0 548
2013 3 27 15 24 107 82 48 80 59 60 0 505
2014 1 22 14 12 109 63 61 63 44 71 1 461
2015 1 25 7 15 121 79 59 57 55 70 0 489
2014 1 35 16 23 121 84 29 67 63 57 0 495
Total 22 348 258 536 2,908 1,875 1,631 1,522 1,014 1,312 3 11,428
Average
Per Year		 1 19 14 30 162 104 91 85 56 73 0 635
   

 

 

 V. Legal Intervention Firearm Deaths


Legal intervention firearm deaths include gun deaths by police officers, federal law enforcement agents, other law enforcement agents, and on-duty military personnel while the government official is in the process of arresting the victim or performing other job duties, including keeping the peace. There were 6,744 firearm deaths due to legal intervention between 1999 and 2016. 25-34-year-olds were most often the victims of legal intervention gun deaths with 2,044 deaths between 1999 and 2016 (30.3% of total legal intervention firearm deaths), with the most deaths (171) occurring in 2016. Overall, legal intervention firearm deaths were up 70.6% from 1999 to 2016. There was one legal intervention firearm death of a child under 1-year-old in 2009 and none other for children under 10.
 
 
   

 

 

Legal Intervention Firearm Deaths by Age, 1999-2016
Year 10-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Total
1999 1 64 112 76 32 11 3 299
2000 3 72 79 69 33 7 7 270
2001 0 87 95 84 31 16 10 323
2002 3 86 87 74 36 8 6 300
2003 2 92 109 89 38 11 6 347
2004 0 79 90 82 42 8 10 311
2005 0 80 88 94 39 22 7 330
2006 1 81 114 91 56 12 5 360
2007 1 96 107 76 49 14 8 351
2008 0 80 91 76 53 17 9 326
2009 0 69 99 64 53 34 13 333
2010 1 68 86 86 58 36 9 344
2011 1 100 130 84 85 36 18 454
2012 1 116 135 99 75 36 9 471
2013 1 96 138 113 70 35 14 467
2014 1 79 160 106 76 30 12 464
2015 0 84 153 98 89 47 13 484
2016 2 76 171 132 71 43 15 510
Total 18 1,505 2,044 1,593 986 423 174 6,744
Average
Per Year		 1 84 114 86 55 24 10 375

*There was one legal intervention firearm death of a child under 1-year-old in 2009 and none other for children under 10.
 
   

 

 

VI. Firearm Deaths of Undetermined Intent


There were 4,611 firearm deaths of undetermined intent between 1999 and 2016. The firearm deaths of 15-24 years olds most often were categorized as undetermined intent between 1999 and 2016 with 1,265 deaths (27.4% of total undetermined intent firearm deaths), with the most deaths (127) occurring in 1999. Overall, undetermined intent firearm deaths were down 7.4% from 1999 to 2016.
 
 
   

 

 

Firearm Deaths of Undetermined Intent, by Age, 1999-2015
Year 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Age
Unknown		 Total
1999 3 0 12 127 51 57 28 14 32 0 324
2000 0 2 8 71 52 39 23 15 19 1 230
2001 0 2 4 64 48 50 29 12 22 0 231
2002 1 2 4 79 46 50 29 12 20 0 243
2003 1 1 11 69 38 43 31 20 18 0 232
2004 1 3 6 58 45 44 29 20 26 3 235
2005 3 3 9 77 35 28 28 23 15 0 221
2006 2 0 5 76 45 39 22 20 11 0 220
2007 3 2 10 82 44 36 40 35 24 0 276
2008 2 4 6 70 53 36 40 32 28 2 273
2009 2 1 4 42 40 38 48 33 23 0 232
2010 3 3 11 53 54 26 44 33 25 0 252
2011 2 1 10 62 44 39 29 34 27 0 248
2012 2 0 4 67 52 32 34 35 30 0 256
2013 1 1 6 64 66 43 29 42 29 0 281
2014 2 3 5 57 46 40 51 34 36 1 275
2015 3 1 3 77 60 31 34 32 41 0 282
2016 3 4 9 70 65 52 27 31 38 1 300
Total 34 33 127 1,265 884 723 596 477 64 8 4,611
Average
Per Year		 2 2 7 70 49 40 33 27 4 0 256

*There was one undetermined intent firearm death of a child under 1 in 2009, and no other for that age group.
Source: CDC, WISQARS Database, cdc.gov (accessed July 17, 2018) 
 
 
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