Firearms for sale are displayed at the Centennial Gun Club in Centennial, Colo., in June 2026. Nearly 45,000 people died from firearm-related injuries in 2024, down about 5% from the previous year, according to a new analysis of CDC mortality data. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline)
Firearm homicides in the United States fell sharply in 2024, but gun suicides reached a record high, according to a new analysis of federal mortality data by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
The report, based on newly released data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 44,447 people died from firearm-related injuries in 2024, down about 5% from the previous year. The decline was driven largely by a nearly 16% drop in firearm homicides, which fell to 15,364 deaths.
At the same time, firearm suicides rose to a record 27,593 deaths, accounting for about 62% of all firearm deaths in 2024.
The report’s authors also found that firearms remained the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1 to 17 for the fifth consecutive year, with 2,214 deaths in 2024.
About 86% of firearm deaths were among men, according to the report. But rates have risen over the past decade among some groups of women, particularly Black women. From 2015 to 2024, the firearm homicide rate among Black women increased 63%, compared with a 2% increase among white women. Over the same period, the firearm suicide rate among Black women rose 169%, compared with a 4% increase among white women.
The report also found increases among other groups of women. From 2015 to 2024, firearm homicide rates rose 39% among Asian or Pacific Islander women and 31% among Hispanic or Latina women, while firearm suicide rates increased 57% and 51%, respectively.
Overall, firearm deaths remain about 9% below their pandemic-era peak of 48,830 deaths in 2021 but are still higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the report.
Stateline reporter Amanda Watford can be reached at awatford@stateline.org.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Alabama Reflector, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
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Author: Amanda Watford