Contents
- Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by age, sex, and race
- Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by location and firearm type
- Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics for incident response and household exposure
- Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by context of injury
- Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by precipitating circumstance
- Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics for child deaths and shooter characteristics
- Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics for child storage and access circumstances
- Sources
Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by age, sex, and race
The available figures describe deaths recorded by the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), rather than all firearm injuries. Its 2023 unintentional-firearm tables cover 50 states and the District of Columbia; California, Florida, and Texas are represented by specified counties. Puerto Rico is analyzed separately. The 2023 records include 542 incidents involving 542 deaths. These are counts and shares among recorded decedents, not population rates or estimates of nonfatal injuries. CDC, NVDRS 2023
Sex and age show different parts of the distribution. Males accounted for 453 deaths (83.6%), and females for 89 (16.4%). The age groups reported here include 52 deaths among people aged 1–4 (9.6%), 26 among those aged 5–9 (4.8%), 47 among those aged 10–14 (8.7%), 104 among those aged 15–19 (19.2%), and 68 among those aged 20–24 (12.5%). These are separate age bands in the 2023 table; they do not provide a complete age profile in this article. CDC, NVDRS 2023
| 2023 recorded decedent characteristic | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 453 | 83.6% |
| Female | 89 | 16.4% |
| Age 1–4 years | 52 | 9.6% |
| Age 5–9 years | 26 | 4.8% |
| Age 10–14 years | 47 | 8.7% |
| Age 15–19 years | 104 | 19.2% |
| Age 20–24 years | 68 | 12.5% |
| White, non-Hispanic | 257 | 47.4% |
| Black or African American | 188 | 34.7% |
The race and ethnicity table reports 257 White decedents (47.4%) and 188 Black or African American decedents (34.7%). Its footnote defines racial groups as non-Hispanic; Hispanic people may be of any race but are categorized as Hispanic. The percentages use all 542 deaths as their denominator. They describe the composition of the recorded deaths and should not be read as comparative risks between populations. CDC, NVDRS 2023
A separate CDC analysis covers 1,262 unintentional firearm deaths among children aged 0–17, recorded across 49 states, DC, and Puerto Rico during 2003–2021. The jurisdictions contributed data in different years, so this is a multi-year surveillance series rather than a single uniform annual snapshot. Boys accounted for 1,049 deaths (83.1%). In the child study, ages 0–5 accounted for 367 deaths (29.1%), ages 6–10 for 176 (14.0%), ages 11–15 for 417 (33.0%), and ages 16–17 for 302 (23.9%). These age bands belong to that study and should not be combined directly with the different bands in the 2023 table. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by location and firearm type
In the 2023 NVDRS records, a house or apartment was the injury location for 393 deaths (72.5%). Other listed locations included a motor vehicle, with 43 deaths (7.9%); a natural area, with 23 (4.2%); and a street or highway, with 19 (3.5%). Smaller reported categories were a commercial or retail area and a hotel or motel, each with 7 deaths (1.3%), and a park, playground, or sports or athletic area, with 6 (1.1%). These are location categories in the death records, not measures of how often people use those places or of risk per visit. CDC, NVDRS 2023
| Injury location in 2023 | Deaths | Share of 542 |
|---|---|---|
| House or apartment | 393 | 72.5% |
| Motor vehicle | 43 | 7.9% |
| Natural area | 23 | 4.2% |
| Street or highway | 19 | 3.5% |
| Commercial or retail area | 7 | 1.3% |
| Hotel or motel | 7 | 1.3% |
| Park, playground, or sports or athletic area | 6 | 1.1% |
The firearm-type rows show handguns involved in 336 deaths (62.0%) and rifles in 41 (7.6%). These categories do not account for every death in the table, and the supplied figures do not identify a complete breakdown across all firearm types. Their percentages use the 542 recorded deaths as the denominator. CDC, NVDRS 2023
| Firearm type | Deaths | Share of 542 |
|---|---|---|
| Handgun | 336 | 62.0% |
| Rifle | 41 | 7.6% |
For the longer child study, 85% of victims were fatally injured at a house or apartment; the detailed table-based estimate is 85.5%. The study also reports that 56% were fatally injured in their own home, with the table giving 656 deaths (55.6%). The broader “house or apartment” location and the more specific “victim’s home” characteristic are distinct measures. The study’s table percentages can exclude cases where a characteristic was missing or unknown. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics for incident response and household exposure
The 2023 table records emergency medical services as present in 399 deaths (73.6%). It also records a child present or witnessing the incident in 130 deaths (24.0%). These describe incident characteristics among deaths; they do not establish when responders arrived, what treatment was provided, or whether the child witnessed the injury itself. CDC, NVDRS 2023
The table marks suspected alcohol use by the victim before the incident in 83 deaths (15.3%). It records 8 deaths (1.5%) in which the victim was injured at work or while working. These coded characteristics should be interpreted as recorded, rather than as proof of a cause or a full account of the circumstances. CDC, NVDRS 2023
Household exposure appears in two different measures. The injury location was a house or apartment in 393 deaths (72.5%), while the separate incident characteristic “injured at victim’s home” was recorded in 268 deaths (49.4%). The distinction matters: a house or apartment may be someone else’s home or another residential setting. The location figures alone do not say who owned or stored the firearm, who had access, or whether the decedent lived at the place of injury. CDC, NVDRS 2023
In the child study spanning 2003–2021, 656 deaths (55.6%) were recorded as occurring at the victim’s home. That is a child-specific finding over a different period and surveillance coverage than the 2023 all-age table. It should not be interpreted as a year-to-year change from the 2023 figure. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by context of injury
The 2023 context figures use a narrower denominator than the location and demographic tables: deaths with one or more precipitating circumstances known. The report says circumstances were unknown for 85 of the 542 decedents. A death may have more than one circumstance recorded, so context percentages are not mutually exclusive and should not be added together as if they were parts of one whole. CDC, NVDRS 2023
| Recorded context, 2023 | Deaths | Share among deaths with known precipitating circumstances |
|---|---|---|
| Playing with firearm | 182 | 39.8% |
| Showing firearm to others | 64 | 14.0% |
| Cleaning firearm | 36 | 7.9% |
| Hunting | 21 | 4.6% |
| Loading or unloading firearm | 17 | 3.7% |
| Target shooting | 4 | <1.0% |
Playing with a firearm was recorded in 182 deaths (39.8%) in this known-circumstance group. Showing a firearm to others accounted for 64 (14.0%), and cleaning a firearm for 36 (7.9%). The remaining listed contexts are hunting, with 21 deaths (4.6%); loading or unloading, with 17 (3.7%); and target shooting, with 4 (<1.0%). These labels describe the reported context and do not by themselves establish what action caused a discharge. CDC, NVDRS 2023
A longer child-death table combines “playing with firearm” and “showing firearm to others” as one precipitating circumstance. It records 746 child deaths (66.6%) with that circumstance among cases where one or more precipitating circumstances were known during 2003–2021. Because multiple circumstances may be recorded for a decedent, this percentage is not exclusive of other circumstances. Its combined category and child-only population also differ from the separate context rows in the 2023 table. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics by precipitating circumstance
The 2023 NVDRS report separately lists circumstances that precipitated an injury. As with context, percentages are based on deaths with one or more circumstances known, and more than one circumstance can apply to a death. An unintentionally pulled trigger was recorded in 111 deaths (24.3%). Thinking the firearm was unloaded for reasons other than a disengaged magazine was recorded in 48 (10.5%); thinking it was unloaded after the magazine was disengaged was recorded in 38 (8.3%). The table presents these as separate entries. CDC, NVDRS 2023
| Recorded precipitating circumstance, 2023 | Deaths | Share among deaths with known precipitating circumstances |
|---|---|---|
| Unintentionally pulled trigger | 111 | 24.3% |
| Thought firearm was unloaded; magazine not disengaged | 48 | 10.5% |
| Thought firearm was unloaded; magazine disengaged | 38 | 8.3% |
| Firearm was dropped | 18 | 3.9% |
| Firearm fired while being holstered | 12 | 2.6% |
| Thought firearm safety was engaged | 11 | 2.4% |
| Firearm fired due to defect or malfunction | 7 | 1.5% |
| Bullet ricocheted | 4 | <1.0% |
Other recorded circumstances were a dropped firearm in 18 deaths (3.9%), a firearm firing while being holstered in 12 (2.6%), and a belief that the firearm safety was engaged in 11 (2.4%). A firearm defect or malfunction was recorded in 7 deaths (1.5%), and a bullet ricochet in 4 (<1.0%). These entries describe recorded circumstances, not causal rankings; their counts and percentages can overlap because several circumstances may be documented for one death. CDC, NVDRS 2023
Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics for child deaths and shooter characteristics
The child study’s scope is deaths among people aged 0–17 during 2003–2021, with 1,262 deaths identified across contributing jurisdictions. It reports that 85% of victims were fatally injured in a house or apartment, with a detailed estimate of 85.5%; 56% were fatally injured in their own home, with the table reporting 55.6%. These setting figures sit alongside the age distribution: 367 deaths (29.1%) among children aged 0–5, 176 (14.0%) aged 6–10, 417 (33.0%) aged 11–15, and 302 (23.9%) aged 16–17. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
The report’s sex result is 1,049 deaths among boys (83.1%). That resembles the male share in the separate 2023 all-age data, but the periods, age scope, and surveillance coverage differ. The figures alone do not show whether the share rose or fell over time, and they are not population-adjusted rates. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021 CDC, NVDRS 2023
The child study reports that playing with or showing a firearm was the circumstance in 746 deaths (66.6%) among deaths with known precipitating circumstances. This is a combined category, unlike the distinct “playing” and “showing” entries in the 2023 context table. It also does not identify the shooter’s relationship to the child in the values available here. The reported figure supports describing a common recorded circumstance in this study, but not attributing intent or assigning responsibility. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
Unintentional firearm injury trends statistics for child storage and access circumstances
For child deaths from 2003–2021, the study reports firearm storage details only where the relevant information was available and applicable. Among cases with lock-status information and non-NA storage status, an unlocked firearm was recorded in 508 deaths (76.2%), while a locked firearm was recorded in 34 (5.1%). These shares are conditional on the table’s available information; they are not percentages of all 1,262 deaths. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
Among cases with loaded-status information and non-NA storage status, a loaded firearm was recorded in 428 deaths (73.8%). In the table’s combined measure of loaded and unlocked status, 377 deaths (90.6%) were recorded as involving a firearm that was both loaded and unlocked. The combined percentage has its own applicable denominator: child deaths with known relevant lock and loaded status, with NA cases handled separately. Missing or unknown values should not be interpreted as zero or as evidence of a particular storage condition. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
| Storage characteristic among applicable child cases, 2003–2021 | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unlocked, with lock-status information | 508 | 76.2% |
| Locked, with lock-status information | 34 | 5.1% |
| Loaded, with loaded-status information | 428 | 73.8% |
| Loaded and unlocked, with both statuses known | 377 | 90.6% |
The study also records where a shooter accessed the firearm used in the fatal event, conditional on known access information when the firearm was stored unlocked. Access locations included inside or on top of a nightstand, under a mattress or pillow, or on top of a bed in 113 deaths (30.0%); on top of a shelf or inside a closet in 70 (18.6%); and inside a vehicle in 47 (12.5%). CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
Other recorded access locations were inside a handbag, backpack, gym bag, purse, or clothing in 33 deaths (8.8%), and on top of a coffee table or kitchen table, on a refrigerator, or inside a kitchen drawer in 32 (8.5%). These are locations reported for cases meeting the table’s access-information and unlocked-firearm conditions. They are not a complete census of household storage practices, and the figures do not establish who owned the firearm or how long it had been accessible. CDC, child deaths 2003–2021
| Recorded firearm access location among applicable child cases, 2003–2021 | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nightstand, mattress, pillow, or bed | 113 | 30.0% |
| Shelf or closet | 70 | 18.6% |
| Vehicle | 47 | 12.5% |
| Handbag, backpack, gym bag, purse, or clothing | 33 | 8.8% |
| Coffee table, kitchen table, refrigerator, or kitchen drawer | 32 | 8.5% |
Taken together, the two CDC sources provide a one-year profile of recorded 2023 deaths and a separate child-focused series spanning 2003–2021. The reported counts, percentages, and conditional denominators describe those surveillance records. They do not quantify nonfatal injury trends, explain causes, or support direct year-to-year comparisons across the two studies.