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U.S. Gun Suicides Surge to Record 27,300, Outpace Homicides

More than half of firearm fatalities now result from suicide, driving a wave of state-level prevention laws.

A visitor looks at a handgun in the GForce Arms booth during the 2025 NRA Annual Meetings& Exhibits held in the Georgia World Congress Center on April 26, 2025, in Atlanta. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Overview

  • Gun suicides topped 27,300 in 2023, exceeding deaths from homicides, accidents and police shootings combined.
  • Total firearm fatalities reached 46,728 in 2023, according to final CDC data.
  • Homicides fell for a second consecutive year to 17,927 but remained among the five highest annual totals on record.
  • Black youth aged 10 to 19 experienced a more than threefold increase in firearm suicide rates since 2014, and Hispanic youth saw rates nearly double over the same period.
  • States have expanded measures such as safe storage laws, purchaser licensing and extreme risk protection orders to curb firearm suicides.