Every year, over 36,000 Americans are killed in acts of gun violence and approximately 100,000 more are shot and injured. With death and injury tolls this high, America is undeniably a nation of gun violence survivors. But the impact of gun violence extends far beyond those killed or injured.

58% of American adults or someone they care for have experienced gun violence in their lifetime.

Gun violence in any form – whether a person witnessed an act of gun violence, was threatened or wounded with a gun, or had someone they know or care for wounded or killed – can leave a lasting impact on individuals. Forms of gun violence can include, but are not limited to: gun suicides, gun homicides, domestic violence involving a gun, and unintentional shootings. Defined this way, a recent national poll estimated that 58 percent of American adults responded that they or someone they care for have experienced gun violence in their lifetime. Yet, as a country we do not talk enough about the lifelong impact of these many forms of gun violence.

In addition to the emotional toll, gun violence can also be financially devastating, affecting both individuals and communities. While survivors bear direct costs such as healthcare and lost income, gun violence also hurts local economies by lowering property values, slowing new business creation, and reducing available jobs, thereby creating the very economic and social conditions that are associated with higher violence.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The United States is a nation of survivors. In a recent national poll, 58 percent of adult respondents reported that they or someone they care for have experienced gun violence in their lifetime. Everytown for Gun Safety has compiled scientific research on the impacts of gun violence on this country coupled with stories of gun violence from Americans of all backgrounds, to demonstrate the magnitude of such violence and its lasting impacts on Americans and the communities we call home. This report covers the following topics:

• Gun suicides – More than 22,000 Americans die of firearm suicide every year, leaving countless Americans to grieve the death of their loved ones.

• Gun homicides – The burden of gun homicide falls heaviest on communities already facing structural disadvantages. Within cities, gun homicides are most prevalent in racially segregated neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and low educational attainment. As a result, homicides disproportionately affect people of color.

• Gun injuries – Every year, approximately 100,000 Americans survive a gunshot wound and are faced with a life-long process of physical and emotional healing, as well as heavy economic costs for both survivors, communities, and society as a whole.

• Gun violence and children and teens – Firearms are the second leading cause of death for children and teens and the first leading cause of death for Black children and teens in the U.S. Every year, nearly 3,000 children and teens are shot and killed and approximately 15,600 are shot and injured.

• Domestic violence and guns – Approximately 4.5 million American women alive today have been threatened with a gun by an intimate partner.

• Hate crimes with guns – In an average year, over 10,300 violent hate crimes involve a gun – more than 28 each day. The vast majority of hate crimes are directed against communities of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people.

• Costs of gun violence – The various costs paid by victims, communities, businesses, taxpayers, and every American who feels the pain, fear, and distress from the increasing frequency of gun violence amount to tens of billions annually and impact people in every community across the country.