Gun Violence by the Numbers: What FBI Data Actually Shows
Firearms dominate American homicide in a way unique among developed nations. Here's what the FBI's expanded homicide data reveals about weapon types, circumstances, victim and offender demographics by race, and what the numbers mean for policy.
Key Insights
- →Firearms are used in 85.2% of all US murders, far higher than any other weapon type
- →23,434 Americans were murdered with firearms in 2024
- →Black Americans account for 8,158 of 15,795 murder victims — a vastly disproportionate burden
- →Known offenders: White 31.2%, Black 43.1%, Unknown 23.6% — unsolved cases skew these numbers
- →Handguns account for the majority of firearm homicides; rifles represent a small fraction
- →The US firearm homicide rate is 25x higher than other high-income countries
- →Young men 18-24 account for the largest share of both victims and offenders
The Firearm Dominance
In 2024, firearms were used in 85.2% of all murders in the United States — 23,434 out of 27,512 total. No other weapon category comes close. Knives and cutting instruments account for roughly 6%, while personal weapons (hands, fists, feet) account for about 2%.
This ratio has been remarkably stable over decades. Firearms have consistently been the weapon of choice in 65-80% of US murders since the FBI began detailed tracking. The shift over time has been slightly toward handguns and away from rifles and shotguns.
Weapon Breakdown
| Weapon Type | Count | % | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total firearms: | 11,717 | 42.6% | |
| Handguns | 6,246 | 22.7% | |
| Firearms, type not stated | 4,565 | 16.6% | |
| Knives or cutting instruments | 1,566 | 5.7% | |
| Other weapons or weapons not stated | 1,174 | 4.3% | |
| Personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)1,2 | 633 | 2.3% | |
| Rifles | 401 | 1.5% | |
| Other guns | 356 | 1.3% | |
| Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.) | 283 | 1.0% | |
| Narcotics | 226 | 0.8% | |
| Shotguns | 149 | 0.5% | |
| Asphyxiation | 96 | 0.3% |
Murder Weapons Breakdown
Victim Age Distribution
Murder Weapons by Year
Victim Demographics by Race & Ethnicity
Gun violence — and homicide more broadly — falls disproportionately on specific communities. The FBI's demographic data reveals the devastating concentration of violence:
| Race | Total | Male | Female | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 6,753 | 4,786 | 1,953 | 42.8% |
| Black | 8,158 | 6,794 | 1,355 | 51.6% |
| Other | 464 | 322 | 142 | 2.9% |
| Unknown | 420 | 242 | 88 | 2.7% |
| Ethnicity | Total | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,372 | 1,903 | 467 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 9,314 | 7,121 | 2,173 |
| Unknown | 1,364 | 1,026 | 304 |
Black Americans make up roughly 13.6% of the US population but account for over half of all murder victims. For young Black men aged 15-34, homicide — overwhelmingly by firearm — is the leading cause of death. This is not a statistic about inherent characteristics; it reflects the concentration of poverty, lack of opportunity, and historical disinvestment in specific communities.
Hispanic or Latino victims account for 2,372 homicides. Note that ethnicity (Hispanic/Latino) is tracked separately from race in FBI data — a Hispanic victim may also be counted as White or Black in the race category.
Offender Demographics
The FBI tracks the race of known offenders. A critical caveat: 23.6% of offenders are classified as "Unknown" because many homicides remain unsolved. Clearance rates are lower in communities with less trust in police — predominantly Black neighborhoods — which means the known-offender data systematically underrepresents offenders in those communities relative to communities with higher clearance rates.
| Race | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| White | 6,048 | 31.2% |
| Black | 8,357 | 43.1% |
| Other | 404 | 2.1% |
| Unknown | 4,570 | 23.6% |
| Ethnicity | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,249 | 14.1% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 7,998 | 50.0% |
| Unknown | 5,746 | 35.9% |
| Age | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 1,551 | 8.0% |
| 18-24 | 4,263 | 22.0% |
| 25-29 | 2,321 | 12.0% |
| 30-34 | 1,988 | 10.3% |
| 35-39 | 1,467 | 7.6% |
| 40+ | 3,374 | 17.4% |
| Unknown | 4,632 | 23.9% |
Single-victim/single-offender incidents where both races are known.
| Victim | By White | By Black | By Other | Unknown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Victim | 2,968 | 684 | 75 | 113 | 3,840 |
| Black Victim | 334 | 3,137 | 14 | 198 | 3,683 |
| Other Race | 72 | 50 | 131 | 9 | 262 |
| Unknown Race | 71 | 56 | 11 | 56 | 194 |
The cross-tabulation confirms that most homicide is intraracial: 77% of white victims were killed by white offenders, and 85% of Black victims were killed by Black offenders. This reflects residential segregation — people are victimized by people they know and live near.
Circumstances of Murder
The FBI also tracks the circumstances surrounding homicides. The most common are arguments and altercations, followed by felonies in progress (robbery, drug dealing, burglary). This challenges the popular image of premeditated, stranger-on-stranger murder — most murders arise from conflicts between people who know each other.
| Circumstance | Count |
|---|---|
| Other than felony type total: | 7,581 |
| Unknown | 7,011 |
| Other arguments | 4,658 |
| Other-not specified | 2,441 |
| Felony type total: | 1,184 |
| Narcotic drug laws | 416 |
| Robbery | 264 |
| Other-not specified | 259 |
| Gangland killings | 259 |
| Institutional killings | 103 |
| Burglary | 78 |
| Juvenile gang killings | 78 |
The Rifle Myth
Despite outsized media attention on rifles (including so-called "assault weapons"), they account for a small fraction of gun murders. Handguns are used in the vast majority of firearm homicides. More people are killed with knives, or even bare hands, than with rifles in a typical year.
This doesn't diminish the horror of mass shootings — which often involve rifles — but it does provide important context for policy discussions. The weapon doing the most damage in American communities, day in and day out, is the handgun.
The Age Factor
Both victims and offenders skew young. The 18-24 age group accounts for22.0% of known offenders, despite being only about 9% of the population. Under-18 offenders represent8.0% — a troubling number that underscores the importance of youth intervention programs.
This age concentration creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Challenge: violence is deeply embedded in the social dynamics of young men in specific neighborhoods. Opportunity: targeted programs that reach this demographic can prevent significant violence. Evidence-based programs like Cure Violence, Becoming a Man (BAM), and READI Chicago have shown 30-70% reductions in violence among participants.
International Context
The US firearm homicide rate is roughly 25 times higher than other high-income countries. This disparity is driven almost entirely by gun availability — the US has more civilian-owned firearms (approximately 400 million) than any other nation, both in total and per capita.
However, the US non-firearm homicide rate is also higher than the total homicide rate of most peer nations, suggesting that gun availability is not the only factor. Poverty, inequality, the drug trade, and cultural factors all contribute to higher baseline violence — guns then make that violence far more lethal.
What the Data Suggests for Policy
The demographic data points to several policy directions:
- Community violence intervention targeting young men (18-24) in the highest-violence neighborhoods — the demographic driving the bulk of gun homicide
- Handgun regulation as the weapon category responsible for the vast majority of gun murders — not just rifle-focused legislation
- Addressing racial disparities in victimization through investment in the communities that bear the heaviest burden
- Improving homicide clearance rates in Black communities, where unsolved murders erode trust and fuel retaliation cycles
- Hospital-based violence intervention that reaches gunshot survivors (who are at extremely high risk of re-injury) at the point of care
- Economic opportunity for young men in high-violence areas as an alternative to the illegal economies that generate conflicts