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Mississippi
32.61
Louisiana
28.40
New Mexico
27.30
Wyoming
26.74
Alabama
26.04
Montana
25.31
Alaska
24.76
Arkansas
23.05
Missouri
22.92
Tennessee
22.53
South Carolina
21.87
Kentucky
21.01
Oklahoma
20.94
Georgia
20.39
Nevada
20.12
Arizona
18.77
Indiana
18.36
Colorado
18.31
West Virginia
17.87
North Carolina
17.40
Kansas
17.12
North Dakota
16.45
Ohio
16.24
Idaho
16.22
Oregon
15.74
Delaware
15.72
Illinois
15.72
Texas
15.60
Michigan
15.38
Maryland
14.82
Pennsylvania
14.64
Virginia
14.42
Florida
14.39
South Dakota
14.28
Wisconsin
13.49
Utah
13.48
Maine
12.91
Vermont
12.83
Washington
11.57
Iowa
11.38
Nebraska
10.18
Minnesota
10.02
California
9.14
New Hampshire
8.86
Connecticut
6.88
Rhode Island
5.83
New York
5.43
New Jersey
5.12
Hawaii
4.91
Massachusetts
3.53

Gun Deaths by State 2024

Gun Deaths by State 2024

There is a painfully high amount of gun-related violence in the United States annually. Some deaths are point-blank murders, many are suicides, and many gun-related deaths happen by accident due to negligent behavior or children getting their hands on weapons and firing a shot without knowing any better. Many states in the U.S. do not have strong firearm laws or strict gun ownership rules. As a result, an abundance of gun-related injuries occur in states where gun laws aren't strong.

Gun violence statistics across the United States are alarming. About seventy-two percent of all murders across the nation involve the use of guns. According to the Department of Justice, 60% of adult firearm deaths are by suicide. The U.S. has more than 33,000 gun deaths per year. In 2017, there were 39,773 deaths by firearms, the highest since 1986. Of these deaths, 23,854 were by suicide, and 14,542 were homicides, 12 deaths per 100,000 people, and seven deaths per 100,000 people.

Suicides account for the highest number of gun-related deaths by state in the United States of America. Most suicides are done with firearms of some type that were also the registered and licensed owners of the weapons. Research has uncovered a correlation between people in states with lower population densities and a higher likelihood of suicides. The thought behind this finding is that lower population densities mean lower rates of loneliness, isolation, and lack of purpose.

On this note, the states with the highest suicide rates are Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming and various smaller cities in midwestern states of America. On the other end of the spectrum, states with large population sizes and even larger population density values, such as New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, have the lowest suicide rates in the United States.

Firearm deaths per year are not just reflections of citizens failing to get along or respect each other's rights to life. Firearms have also been involved in the attempted assassinations of 11 U.S. presidents. Bullet wounds killed four presidents. Three handguns and one rifle were the weapons of choice for shooting, injuring, and ultimately killing four U.S. presidents (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Kennedy).

What percentage of Americans own guns? The United States has the highest percentage of gun ownership worldwide. There are 120 firearms per 100 people in the U.S., with 30% of Americans owning at least one gun. The majority of gun owners own more than one firearm. According to the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of gun owners own more than one firearm, and 29% own five or more.

How many Americans own guns? There are over 98 million gun owners in the United States. There are more guns than there are people in the United States, with over 390 million guns for 327 million people. This means that the 98 million gun owners often own more than one gun. Numbers in this article are provided by the CDC and are from 2019.

States with the Most Gun Deaths

State
Death Rate 2021
Mississippi32.61
Louisiana28.40
New Mexico27.30
Wyoming26.74
Alabama26.04
Montana25.31
Alaska24.76
Arkansas23.05
Missouri22.92
Tennessee22.53

The five states with the highest gun death rates, in deaths per 100,000, are: Alaska (24.4), Mississippi (24.2), Wyoming (22.3), New Mexico (22.3), and Alabama (22.2). Of these states, Wyoming has the highest gun ownership rate of 64.5%, followed by Alaska with 64.5%. Mississippi's gun ownership rate is 55.8%, New Mexico's is 46.2%, and Alabama's is 55.5%. Texas had the highest number of gun deaths, with 3,683. California followed with 2,945 and Florida with 2,872.

States with the Fewest Gun Deaths

The five states with the lowest gun death rates, in deaths per 100,000, are:

State
Death Rate 2021
Massachusetts3.53
Hawaii4.91
New Jersey5.12
New York5.43
Rhode Island5.83

These five states also have the lowest gun ownership rates in the U.S. Massachusetts and New Jersey have the lowest at 14.7% each, followed by Rhode Island with 14.8%. Hawaii's gun ownership rate is 14.9%, and New York's is 19.9%. These are the only states with gun ownership rates below 20%. Rhode Island had the lowest number of gun deaths, with 48. Hawaii followed 62 and Vermont with 67. Both Delaware and North Dakota had 93 gun deaths. These are the only five states that had fewer than 100 gun deaths in 2019.

Gun Deaths by State 2024

50 Rows

State
Death Rate 2021 (per 100k)
Deaths 2021
Death Rate 2018 (per 100k)
Deaths 2018
Mississippi32.6196219.8587
Louisiana28.401,31421.2987
New Mexico27.3057818.2383
Wyoming26.7415517.5101
Alabama26.041,31521.41,046
Montana25.31280191,994
Alaska24.7618223177
Arkansas23.0569817.7541
Missouri22.921,41418.81,144
Tennessee22.531,569171,148
South Carolina21.871,13617.7891
Kentucky21.0194717.5772
Oklahoma20.9483619.6766
Georgia20.392,20014.91,571
Nevada20.1263316.7498
Arizona18.771,36515.21,094
Indiana18.361,25114.9997
Colorado18.311,06414.3812
West Virginia17.8731917.5332
North Carolina17.401,83913.61,409
Kansas17.1250313.3383
North Dakota16.4512811.990
Ohio16.241,91112.91,524
Idaho16.2230914.6242
Oregon15.7467011.8513
Delaware15.7215810.9111
Illinois15.721,99511.61,490
Texas15.604,61312.13,353
Michigan15.381,54412.21,230
Maryland14.8291511.8707
Pennsylvania14.641,90511.91,555
Virginia14.421,248121,049
Florida14.393,14212.62,704
South Dakota14.2812813.5108
Wisconsin13.4979311.4664
Utah13.4845012.9370
Maine12.911788.2123
Vermont12.83831178
Washington11.578969686
Iowa11.383649.2288
Nebraska10.182009.1171
Minnesota10.025737.6432
California9.143,5767.93,184
New Hampshire8.861239.3132
Connecticut6.882484.6172
Rhode Island5.8364449
New York5.431,0784.4900
New Jersey5.124755.5485
Hawaii4.91714.566
Massachusetts3.532473.4242

Sources