U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

MAY 2013	

Special Report

NCJ 241730

Firearm Violence, 1993-2011
Michael Planty, Ph.D., and Jennifer L. Truman, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians

I

n 2011, a total of 478,400 fatal and nonfatal violent
crimes were committed with a firearm (table 1).
Homicides made up about 2% of all firearm-related
crimes. There were 11,101 firearm homicides in 2011,
down by 39% from a high of 18,253 in 1993 (figure 1).
The majority of the decline in firearm-related homicides
occurred between 1993 and 1998. Since 1999, the number of
firearm homicides increased from 10,828 to 12,791 in 2006
before declining to 11,101 in 2011.

Nonfatal firearm-related violent victimizations against
persons age 12 or older declined 70%, from 1.5 million
in 1993 to 456,500 in 2004 (figure 2). The number then
fluctuated between about 400,000 to 600,000 through 2011.1
While the number of firearm crimes declined over time, the
percentage of all violence that involved a firearm did not
change substantively, fluctuating between 6% and 9% over
the same period. In 1993, 9% of all violence was committed
with a firearm, compared to 8% in 2011.
1Many percentages and counts presented in this report are based on
nonfatal firearm victimizations. Since firearm homicides accounted for
about 2% of all firearm victimizations, when firearm homicides are included
in the total firearm estimates, the findings do not change significantly.

Figure 1
Firearm homicides, 1993–2011
Number

Rate per 100,000 persons
8

20,000

15,000

6

Rate

10,000

4

5,000

2

0

0
'93 ‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11*

Note: Excludes homicides due to legal intervention and operations of war. See
appendix table 1 for numbers and rates.
*Preliminary estimates retrieved from Hoyert DL, Xu JQ. (2012) Deaths:
Preliminary data for 2011. National Vital Statistics Reports, 61(6).
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

HIGHLIGHTS
„„

Firearm-related homicides declined 39%, from 18,253 in
1993 to 11,101 in 2011.

„„

From 1993 to 2010, males, blacks, and persons ages 18 to 24
had the highest rates of firearm homicide.

„„

Nonfatal firearm crimes declined 69%, from 1.5 million
victimizations in 1993 to 467,300 victimizations in 2011.

„„

In 2007-11, about 23% of victims of nonfatal firearm crime
were injured.

„„

For both fatal and nonfatal firearm victimizations, the
majority of the decline occurred during the 10-year period
from 1993 to 2002.

„„

	 bout 61% of nonfatal firearm violence was reported to
A
the police in 2007-11.

„„

„„

Firearm violence accounted for about 70% of all homicides
and less than 10% of all nonfatal violent crime from 1993 to
2011.

I	 n 2007-11, less than 1% of victims in all nonfatal violent
crimes reported using a firearm to defend themselves
during the incident.

„„

„„

About 70% to 80% of firearm homicides and 90% of
nonfatal firearm victimizations were committed with a
handgun from 1993 to 2011.

In 2004, among state prison inmates who possessed a gun
at the time of offense, less than 2% bought their firearm at
a flea market or gun show and 40% obtained their firearm
from an illegal source.

BJS

The primary source of information on firearm-related
homicides was obtained from mortality data based on
death certificates in the National Vital Statistics System of
the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Web-based
Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).
These mortality data include causes of death reported by
attending physicians, medical examiners, and coroners,
and demographic information about decedents reported
by funeral directors who obtain that information from
family members and other informants. The NCHS collects,
compiles, verifies, and prepares these data for release to the
public.
The estimates of nonfatal violent victimization are based
on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National
Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects
information on nonfatal crimes against persons age 12
or older reported and not reported to the police from
a nationally representative sample of U.S. households.
Homicide rates are presented per 100,000 persons and the
nonfatal victimization rates are presented per 1,000 persons
age 12 or older. Additional information on firearm violence
in this report comes from the School-Associated Violent
Deaths Surveillance Study (SAVD), the FBI’s Supplemental
Homicide Reports (SHR), the Survey of Inmates in State

Correctional Facilities (SISCF), and the Survey of Inmates
in Federal Correctional Facilities (SIFCF). Each source
provides different information about victims and incident
characteristics. Estimates are shown for different years based
on data availability and measures of reliability. (For more
information about these sources, see Methodology.)
Figure 2
Nonfatal firearm victimizations, 1993–2011
Number

Rate per 1,000 persons
age 12 or older
8

2,000,000
Rate
1,500,000

6

1,000,000

4

500,000

2

0

'93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11

0

Note: See appendix table 2 for numbers, rates, and standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1993–2011.

TABLE 1
Criminal firearm violence, 1993–2011
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011d

Total fatal and nonfatal
firearm violence
1,548,000
1,585,700
1,208,800
1,114,800
1,037,300
847,200
651,700
621,000
574,500
551,800
479,300
468,100
515,900
627,200
567,400
383,500
421,600
426,100
478,400

Number
Firearm
Nonfatal firearm Nonfatal firearm
homicides victimizationsa incidentsb
18,253
1,529,700
1,222,700
17,527
1,568,200
1,287,200
15,551
1,193,200
1,028,900
14,037
1,100,800
939,500
13,252
1,024,100
882,900
11,798
835,400
673,300
10,828
640,900
523,600
10,801
610,200
483,700
11,348
563,100
507,000
11,829
540,000
450,800
11,920
467,300
385,000
11,624
456,500
405,800
12,352
503,500
446,400
12,791
614,400
552,000
12,632
554,800
448,400
12,179
371,300
331,600
11,493
410,100
383,400
11,078
415,000
378,800
11,101
467,300
414,600

Percent
Rate of nonfatal
All violence
All firearm violence
firearm victimizationc involving firearms that was homicide
7.3
9.2%
1.2%
7.4
9.3
1.1
5.5
7.9
1.3
5.1
7.9
1.3
4.7
7.7
1.3
3.8
7.0
1.4
2.9
6.1
1.7
2.7
7.3
1.7
2.5
7.7
2.0
2.3
7.4
2.1
2.0
6.2
2.5
1.9
6.9
2.5
2.1
7.4
2.4
2.5
7.4
2.0
2.2
8.3
2.2
1.5
6.0
3.2
1.6
7.4
2.7
1.6
8.6
2.6
1.8
8.2
2.3

Note: See appendix table 3 for standard errors.
aA victimization refers to a single victim that experienced a criminal incident.
bAn incident is a specific criminal act involving one or more victims or victimizations.
cPer 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
dPreliminary homicide estimates retrieved from Hoyert DL, Xu JQ. (2012) Deaths: Preliminary data for 2011. National Vital Statistics Reports, 61(6).
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

2

Trend estimates of nonfatal firearm violence are presented
as annual 1-year averages or 2-year rolling averages, as
noted in each table or figure. For ease of presentation, 2-year
estimates are referenced according to the most recent year.
For example, estimates reported for 2011 represent the
average estimates for 2010 and 2011. Other tables in this
report focus on a single 5-year aggregate period from 2007
through 2011. These approaches—using rolling averages
and aggregating years—increase the reliability and stability
of estimates, which facilitiates comparisons over time and
between subgroups.
The majority of firearm crimes were committed with a
handgun
From 1993 to 2011, about 60% to 70% of homicides were
committed with a firearm (table 2). Over the same period,
between 6% and 9% of all nonfatal violent victimizations
were committed with a firearm, with about 20% to 30% of
robberies and 22% to 32% of aggravated assaults involving a
firearm.
Handguns accounted for the majority of both homicide and
nonfatal firearm violence (table 3). A handgun was used in
about 83% of all firearm homicides in 1994, compared to
73% in 2011. Other types of firearms, such as shotguns and
rifles, accounted for the remainder of firearm homicides.
For nonfatal firearm violence, about 9 in 10 were committed
with a handgun, and this remained stable from 1994 to 2011.

TABLE 2
Percent of violence involving a firearm, by type of crime,
1993–2011
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001b
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011c

Homicide
71.2%
71.4
69.0
68.0
68.0
65.9
64.1
64.4
55.9
67.1
67.2
67.0
68.2
68.9
68.8
68.3
68.4
68.1
69.6

Nonfatal
violencea
9.1%
9.2
7.8
7.8
7.6
7.0
6.0
7.2
7.5
7.3
6.1
6.8
7.2
7.3
8.1
5.8
7.2
8.4
8.0

Robbery
22.3%
27.1
27.3
24.6
19.9
20.1
19.2
21.1
29.5
23.4
22.4
19.7
21.8
16.6
20.0
19.6
27.0
24.7
25.7

Aggravated
assault
30.7%
31.9
28.0
25.7
27.0
26.5
22.4
26.6
26.0
28.7
22.2
23.6
25.7
24.3
32.6
24.6
23.2
25.4
30.6

Note: See appendix table 4 for standard errors.
aNonfatal violence includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple
assault. A small percentage of rape and sexual assaults involved firearms but are
not shown in table due to small sample sizes.
bThe homicide estimates that occurred as a result of the events of September 11,
2001, are included in the total number of homicides.
cPreliminary homicide estimates retrieved from Hoyert DL, Xu JQ. (2012) Deaths:
Preliminary data for 2011. National Vital Statistics Reports, 61(6).
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–
2011; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

TABLE 3
Criminal firearm violence, by type of firearm, 1994–2011
Homicide
Handgun
Year
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Annual
number
13,510
12,090
10,800
9,750
8,870
8,010
8,020
7,820
8,230
8,890
8,330
8,550
9,060
8,570
7,930
7,370
6,920
7,230

Percent
82.7%
81.9
81.1
78.8
80.4
78.8
78.6
77.9
75.8
80.3
78.0
75.1
77.0
73.6
71.8
71.3
69.6
72.9

Other firearm*
Annual
number
Percent
2,830
17.3%
2,670
18.1
2,510
18.9
2,630
21.2
2,160
19.6
2,150
21.2
2,190
21.4
2,220
22.1
2,620
24.2
2,180
19.7
2,350
22.0
2,840
24.9
2,700
23.0
3,080
26.4
3,120
28.2
2,970
28.7
3,030
30.4
2,690
27.1

Handgun
Average annual
number
Percent
1,387,100
89.5%
1,240,200
89.8
999,600
87.1
894,200
84.2
783,400
84.3
659,600
89.4
555,800
88.8
506,600
86.3
471,600
85.5
436,100
86.6
391,700
84.8
410,600
85.5
497,400
89.0
509,700
87.2
400,700
86.5
348,700
89.2
382,100
92.6
389,400
88.3

Nonfatal violence
Other firearm*
Average annual
number
Percent
150,200
9.7%
132,800
9.6
141,000
12.3
159,800
15.0
141,100
15.2
74,100
10.0
65,300
10.4
65,900
11.2
63,200
11.5
53,200
10.6
53,400
11.6
56,200
11.7
47,600
8.5
65,600
11.2
57,400
12.4
37,600
9.6
26,700
6.5
49,700
11.3

Gun type unknown
Average annual
number
Percent
11,700 !
0.8% !
7,700 !
0.6 !
6,400 !
0.6 !
8,400 !
0.8 !
5,300 !
0.6 !
4,500 !
0.6 !
4,500 !
0.7 !
14,100 !
2.4 !
16,700 !
3.0 !
14,400 !
2.9 !
16,900 !
3.7 !
13,200 !
2.8 !
14,000 !
2.5 !
9,300 !
1.6 !
5,000 !
1.1 !
4,400 !
1.1 !
3,800 !
0.9 !
2,100 !
0.5 !

Note: Nonfatal violence data based on 2-year rolling averages beginning in 1993. Homicide data are presented as annual estimates. See appendix table 5 for standard errors.
*Includes rifle, shotgun, and other types of firearms.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011; and FBI, Supplementary Homicide Reports, 1994–2011.

Males, blacks, and persons ages 18 to 24 were most
likely to be victims of firearm violence
Sex
In 2010, the rate of firearm homicide for males was 6.2 per
100,000, compared to 1.1 for females (figure 3). Firearm
homicide for males declined by 49% (from 12.0 per 100,000
males in 1993 to 6.2 in 2010), compared to a 51% decline
for females (from 2.3 per 100,000 females in 1993 to 1.1
in 2010). The majority of the decline for both males and
females occurred in the first part of the period (1993 to
2000). Over the more recent 10-year period from 2001 to
2010, the decline in firearm homicide for both males and
females slowed, resulting in about a 10% decline each.
Figure 3
Firearm homicides, by sex, 1993–2010
Rate per 100,000 persons
14
12

Male

10

In 2011, the rate of nonfatal firearm violence for males (1.9
per 1,000 males) was not significantly different than the rate
for females (1.6 per 1,000) (figure 4). From 1994 to 2011,
the rate of nonfatal firearm violence for males declined 81%,
from 10.1 to 1.9 per 1,000 males. During the same period,
the rate of nonfatal firearm violence against females dropped
67%, from 4.7 to 1.6 per 1,000 females. As with fatal firearm
violence, the majority of the decline occurred in the first
part of the period. From 2002 to 2011, the rate of nonfatal
firearm violence for males declined 35%, while there was no
no statistical change in the rate for females.
Figure 4
Nonfatal firearm violence, by sex, 1994–2011
Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older
12
10
8
6

8

4

6

2

4
2
0

-

Female

'93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10

Note: See appendix table 6 for numbers and rates.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

Male

0

Female

'94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11

Note: Data based on 2-year rolling averages beginning in 1993. See appendix
table 7 for rates and standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1993–2011.

4

Race/Hispanic origin
In 2010, the rate of firearm homicide for blacks was 14.6
per 100,000, compared to 1.9 for whites, 2.7 for American
Indians and Alaska Natives, and 1.0 for Asians and Pacific
Islanders (figure 5). From 1993 to 2010, the rate of firearm
homicides for blacks declined by 51%, down from 30.1 per
100,000 blacks, compared to a 48% decline for whites and a
43% decline for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Asian
and Pacific Islanders declined 79% over the same period,
from 4.6 to 1.0 per 100,000. Although blacks experienced a
decline similar to whites and American Indians and Alaska
Natives, the rate of firearm homicide for blacks was 5 to
6 times higher than every other racial group in 2010. As
with other demographic groups, the majority of the decline
occurred in the first part of the period and slowed from 2001
to 2010.
The rate of firearm homicide for both Hispanics and nonHispanics was about 4 per 100,000 each in 2010 (figure 6).
However, the Hispanic rate had a larger and more consistent
decline over time. The Hispanic rate declined 54% from 1993
to 2001 and declined 34% since 2001. In comparison, the
non-Hispanic rate declined more slowly, down 42% from
1993 to 2001 and down 5% since 2001.

Rate per 100,000 persons
35

25

~---Black

20
15
10
5

sw#~

'"
American Indian/Alaska Native

._._:,-.y

Asian/Pacific Islander

ri

Figure 6
Firearm homicides, by Hispanic origin, 1993–2010
Rate per 100,000 persons
14
12
10

Hispanic

8
6

Non-Hispanic

4
2
0

'93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10

Note: See appendix table 9 for numbers and rates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics
Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

Figure 5
Firearm homicides, by race, 1993–2010

30

In 2011, non-Hispanic blacks (2.8 per 1,000) and Hispanics
(2.2 per 1,000) had higher rates of nonfatal firearm violence
than non-Hispanic whites (1.4 per 1,000) (figure 7). The
rate of nonfatal firearm violence for Hispanics was not
statistically different from the rate for blacks. From 1994
to 2011, the rates of nonfatal firearm violence for blacks
and Hispanics both declined by 83%, compared to 74% for
whites.

a; s; ;;t--

!' ; ;
_-n'!
White
0
'93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10
Note: See appendix table 8 for numbers and rates.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

Figure 7
Nonfatal firearm violence, by race and Hispanic origin,
1994–2011
Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older
18
16
14
12
10
8

Black*

6
4
2
0

White*

Hispanic

'94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11

Note: Data based on 2-year rolling averages beginning in 1993. See appendix
table 10 for rates and standard errors.
*Excludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1993–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

5

Age
In 2010, the rate of firearm homicide was 10.7 per 100,000
for persons ages 18 to 24, compared to 8.1 for persons ages
25 to 34 and 0.3 for persons age 11 or younger (table 4).
Firearm homicide against persons ages 18 to 34 accounted
for about 30% of all firearm homicides in 2010. From 1993
to 2010, the rate of homicides for persons ages 18 to 24
declined 51%, compared to a 35% decline for persons ages
25 to 34 and 50% for persons age 11 or younger.
In 2011, persons ages 18 to 24 had the highest rate of
nonfatal firearm violence (5.2 per 1,000). From 1994 to 2011,
the rates of nonfatal firearm violence declined for persons
ages 18 to 49, with each group declining between 72% and
77%. The rate for persons ages 12 to 17 declined 88%, from
11.4 to 1.4 per 1,000.
Persons living in urban areas had the highest rates of
nonfatal firearm violence
Region
In 2010, the South had the highest rate of firearm homicides
at 4.4 per 100,000 persons, compared to 3.4 in the Midwest,
3.0 in the West, and 2.8 in the Northeast (figure 8).

From 1993 to 2010, the rate of firearm homicides in the
South declined by 49%, compared to a 50% decline in the
Northeast, a 37% decline in the Midwest, and a 59% decline
in the West.
Figure 8
Firearm homicides, by region, 1993–2011
Rate per 100,000 persons
10
8
6

South
West

4
2
0

Northeast

Midwest

'93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10

Note: See appendix table 13 for numbers and rates.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars).

TABLE 4
Fatal and nonfatal firearm violence, by age, 1993–2011
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

11 or younger
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
...

Firearm homicide rate per 100,000 persons
12–17
18–24
25–34
35–49
8.0
21.9
12.4
6.7
7.8
21.2
12.0
6.3
7.0
18.6
10.6
5.3
5.6
17.2
9.4
4.9
4.8
16.3
9.0
4.6
3.7
14.4
7.9
4.2
3.6
12.4
7.6
3.7
2.9
12.4
7.7
3.8
2.8
12.9
8.4
3.9
2.9
13.0
8.8
4.0
2.7
13.3
9.0
4.0
3.0
11.9
8.9
3.9
3.1
12.9
9.6
4.1
3.6
13.6
9.6
4.1
3.5
13.1
9.5
4.2
3.3
12.1
9.0
4.1
2.9
11.1
8.1
3.9
2.8
10.7
8.1
3.6
...
...
...
...

50 or older
2.2
2.1
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.4
1.4
...

Nonfatal firearm violence rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older
12–17
18–24
25–34
35–49
50 or older
~
~
~
~
~
11.4
18.1
8.7
6.3
1.6
9.8
16.1
7.7
5.5
1.6
7.6
12.3
6.8
4.8
1.4
7.1
12.8
5.4
4.5
1.2
5.7
12.4
4.5
3.8
1.0
4.7
8.9
4.6
2.6
0.7
3.2
7.0
3.6
2.5
1.0
2.2
6.8
3.1
2.4
1.0
2.4
7.3
3.1
1.8
0.8
2.8
6.3
2.7
1.6
0.7
1.9
3.9
2.5
2.1
0.8
1.2
4.4
3.1
1.8
1.0
2.3
5.6
3.4
1.8
1.0
4.3
4.6
3.0
2.2
0.9
3.5
3.2
2.7
1.6
0.7
0.9
3.9
2.3
1.5
0.6
0.6 !
5.8
2.0
1.3
0.6
1.4
5.2
2.2
1.4
0.7

Note: Nonfatal firearm violence data based on 2-year rolling averages beginning in 1993. Homicide data are annual estimates. See appendix table 11 for firearm
homicide numbers and appendix table 12 for nonfatal firearm violence standard errors..
~Not applicable.
...Not available.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

6

In 2011, residents in the South (1.9 per 1,000) had higher
rates of nonfatal firearm violence than those in the Northeast
(1.3 per 1,000) (figure 9). Residents in the South (1.9 per
1,000), Midwest (1.7 per 1,000), and West (1.8 per 1,000) had
statistically similar rates of nonfatal firearm violence.
Urban-rural location

compared to 1.4 per 1,000 for suburban residents and 1.2
for rural residents. From 1994 to 2011, the rates of nonfatal
firearm violence for all three locations declined between 76%
and 78%.
Population size

The publicly available National Vital Statistics System fatal
data files do not contain information about the incident’s
urban-rural location or population size. This information is
limited to nonfatal firearm victimizations. Urban residents
generally experienced the highest rate of nonfatal firearm
violence (figure 10). In 2011, the rate of nonfatal firearm
violence for residents in urban areas was 2.5 per 1,000,

In 2011, higher rates of nonfatal violence occurred in areas
with a population of more than 250,000 residents than
in areas with a population under 250,000 (table 5). From
1997 to 2011, the rates of nonfatal firearm violence for
populations between 250,000 and 499,999 and 1 million
residents or more declined between 57% and 62%, compared
to a 37% decline for residents living in populations between
500,000 and 999,999 residents.

Figure 9
Nonfatal firearm violence, by region, 1997–2011

TABLE 5
Nonfatal firearm violence, by population size, 1997–2011

Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older
8
6
West
4
2

South
Midwest
Northeast

0

'97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11

Note: Data based on 2-year rolling averages beginning in 1996. Region
information was not available from 1993 to 1995. See appendix table 14 for rates
and standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1996–2011.

Figure 10
Nonfatal firearm violence, by urban-rural location,
1994–2011
Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older
12

Year
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older
Not a Less than 100,000– 250,000– 500,000– 1 million
place* 100,000 249,999 499,999 999,999 or more
3.9
3.8
7.0
10.3
7.3
7.3
3.0
3.9
4.8
7.0
9.2
5.7
1.9
3.1
3.1
5.5
9.0
6.4
1.5
2.2
3.9
6.5
6.3
5.6
1.4
2.1
4.1
6.1
5.5
5.1
1.2
2.3
2.8
3.9
4.9
5.3
1.4
2.0
2.8
3.3
5.1
3.6
1.4
1.4
3.0
4.1
5.5
2.7
1.2
1.6
2.9
3.6
4.5
4.6
1.6
2.1
2.6
2.6
3.8
4.9
1.5
2.6
2.7
2.4
5.4
2.1
0.8
2.1
2.1
3.2
4.9
1.4
0.9
1.1
2.2
3.0
4.0
3.5
0.9
1.2
1.8
2.8
5.1
4.0
1.4
1.2
1.3
3.9
4.6
3.2

Note: Data based on 2-year rolling averages beginning in 1996. Population size
information was not available from 1993 to 1995. See appendix table 16 for rates
and standard errors.
*A concentration of population that is not either legally bounded as an
incorporated place having an active government or delineated for statistical
purposes as a census designated place with definite geographic boundaries,
such as a city, town, or village.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1996–2011.

10
8
6
4
2
0

Urban
Suburban
Rural
'94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11

Note: Data based on 2-year rolling averages beginning in 1993. See appendix
table 15 for rates and standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1993–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

7

About 11% of nonfatal violence committed by a
stranger involved a firearm
Intimate partners suffered about 4.7 million nonfatal violent
victimizations in the 5-year period from 2007 through
2011, and the offender used a firearm in about 4% of
these victimizations (about 195,700 incidents) (table 6).
Similar to intimate partner violent victimizations, offenders
who were either a relative or known to the victim (e.g.,
a friend or acquaintance) used a firearm in about 4% to
7% of these total victimizations. In comparison, persons

victimized by strangers experienced about 11 million violent
victimizations, and the offender used a firearm in 11% of
these victimizations.2
In 2007-11, the majority of nonfatal firearm violence
occurred in or around the victim’s home (42%) or in an
open area, on the street, or while on public transportation
(23%) (table 7). Less than 1% of all nonfatal firearm violence
occurred in schools.
2The

fatal data from the National Vital Statistics System does not have
victim-offender relationship information. The SHR victim-offender
relationship data are not shown due to the large amount of missing data.

TABLE 6
Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence, by victim-offender relationship, 2007–2011
Relationship to victim
Total
Nonstranger
Intimatea
Other relative
Friend/acquaintance
Stranger
Unknownb

Total nonfatal violence
29,611,300
15,715,900
4,673,600
2,157,700
8,884,600
10,983,100
2,912,300

Number
2,218,500
738,000
195,700
158,100
384,100
1,177,900
302,600

Firearm violence
Percent of total violence
7.5%
4.7
4.2
7.3
4.3
10.7
10.4

Nonfirearm violence
Number
Percent of total violence
27,392,800
92.5%
14,977,900
95.3
4,477,900
95.8
1,999,500
92.7
8,500,500
95.7
9,805,200
89.3
2,609,600
89.6

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 17 for standard errors.
aIncludes current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends.
bIncludes relationships unknown and number of offenders unknown.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

TABLE 7
Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence, by location of crime, 2007–2011
Location
Total
Victims home or lodging
Near victim’s home
In, at, or near a friend, neighbor, or relative’s home
Commercial place
Parking lot or garage
School*
Open area, on street, or public transportation
Other location

Total nonfatal violence
Number
Percent
29,618,300
100%
6,491,400
21.9
4,804,700
16.2
2,175,900
7.3
2,878,600
9.7
1,688,400
5.7
3,931,100
13.3
4,636,900
15.7
3,011,200
10.2

Firearm violence
Number
Percent
2,218,500
100%
427,600
19.3
504,500
22.7
132,600
6.0
195,400
8.8
340,600
15.4
12,600 !
0.6 !
508,400
22.9
96,800
4.4

Nonfirearm violence
Number
Percent
27,399,800
100%
6,063,800
22.1
4,300,200
15.7
2,043,300
7.5
2,683,200
9.8
1,347,900
4.9
3,918,500
14.3
4,128,500
15.1
2,914,400
10.6

! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See appendix table 18 for standard errors.
*Includes inside a school building or on school property.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

8

School-related homicides of youth ages 5 to 18
accounted for less than 2% of all youth homicides
The number of homicides at schools declined over time, from
an average of 29 per year in the 1990s (school year 1992-93
to 1999-00) to an average of 20 per year in the 2000s (school

year 2000-01 to 2009-10) (table 8). Generally, homicides in
schools comprised less than 2% of all homicides of youth
ages 5 to 18. During the 2000s, an average of about 1,600
homicides of youth ages 5 to 18 occurred per year. The
majority of homicides against youth both at school and away
from school were committed with a firearm.

TABLE 8
School-associated homicides of youth ages 5 to 18, by location and school years, 1992–93 to 2009–10
School year
1992–93
1993–94
1994–95
1995–96
1996–97
1997–98
1998–99
1999–00
2000–01
2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
2005–06
2006–07
2007–08
2008–09
2009–10

Homicides of youth ages 5 to 18
Total homicidesa
Homicides at schoolb,c
2,719
34
2,911
29
2,691
28
2,548
32
2,210
28
2,104
34
1,791
33
1,566
14
1,501
14
1,494
16
1,538
18
1,459
23
1,545
22
1,687
21
1,796
32
1,740
21
1,579
17
…
17

Percent of all homicides of youth at school
1.3%
1.0
1.0
1.3
1.3
1.6
1.8
0.9
0.9
1.1
1.2
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.8
1.2
1.1
…

Note: At school includes on school property, on the way to or from regular sessions at school, and while attending or traveling to or from a school-sponsored event.
...Not available.
aYouth ages 5 to 18 from July 1, 1992, through June 30, 2009.
bYouth ages 5 to 18 from July 1, 1992, through June 30, 2010.
cThe data from school year 1999–00 through 2009–10 are subject to change until interviews with school and law enforcement officials have been completed. The details
learned during the interviews can occasionally change the classification of a case.
Sources: Table 1.1 from Robers, S., Zhang, J., and Truman, J. (2012). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011 (NCES 2012-002/NCJ 236021). National Center for Education
Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Homicide data are from: Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1992–2010 School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance Study (SAVD); FBI and Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR),
1992–2009.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

9

In 2007-11, about 23% of all nonfatal firearm victims
were injured
In 2007-11, about 23% of all nonfatal firearm victims were
physically injured during the victimization (table 9). About
7% suffered serious injuries (e.g., a gunshot wound, broken
bone, or internal injuries), while 16% suffered minor injuries

(e.g., bruises or cuts). Of the nonfatal firearm victims who
were injured, 72% received some type of care, with about
82% receiving care in a hospital or medical office.
The victim reported that the offender had fired the weapon
in 7% of all nonfatal firearm victimizations. The victim
suffered a gunshot wound in 28% of these victimizations
(not shown in table).

TABLE 9
Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence, by injury and treatment received, 2007–2011
Injury and treatment
Injury
Not injured
Injured
Seriousa
Gun shot
Minorb
Rape without other injuries
Treatment for injuryc
No treatment
Any treatment
Treatment settingd
At the scene/home of victim, neighbor, or
friend/location
In doctor’s office/hospital emergency room/
overnight at hospital

Total nonfatal violence
Number
Percent
29,618,300
100%
22,187,500
74.9
7,430,800
25.1
1,249,300
4.2
46,000
0.2
5,742,700
19.4
374,300
1.3
7,430,800
100%
4,304,300
57.9
3,103,500
41.8
3,103,500

100%

1,078,000

34.7

2,025,600

65.3

Firearm violence
Number
Percent
2,218,500
100%
1,707,800
77.0
510,700
23.0
148,300
6.7
46,000
2.1
357,100
16.1
5,400 !
0.2 !
510,700
100%
140,700
27.5
370,000
72.5
370,000

Nonfirearm violence
Number
Percent
27,399,800
100%
20,479,700
74.7
6,920,100
25.3
1,147,000
4.2
~
~
5,385,700
19.7
368,900
1.3
6,920,100
100%
4,163,600
60.2
2,733,500
39.5

100%

2,733,500

100%

68,000

18.4

1,010,000

36.9

302,000

81.6

1,723,500

63.1

Note: See appendix table 19 for standard errors.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
~Not applicable.
aIncludes injuries such as gun shots, knife wounds, internal injuries, unconsciousness, and broken bones.
bIncludes bruises, cuts, and other minor injuries.
cIncludes only victims who were injured.
dIncludes only victims who were injured and received treatment.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

10

Nonfatal shooting victims
According to the NCVS, an average of about 22,000
nonfatal shooting victims occurred annually from 1993 to
2002 (not shown in table). From 2002 to 2011, the number
of victims declined by about half to 12,900 per year. In the
5-year aggregate period from 2007-11, a total of 46,000
nonfatal firearm victims were wounded with a firearm
and another 58,483 were victims of a firearm homicide.
The total firearm nonfatal gunshot injuries and homicides
accounted for 5% of all firearm violent crimes in 2007-11.
Data on nonfatal injury are also available in the National
Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program
(NEISS-AIP), which is operated by the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC). According to these
data, an average of 47,870 nonfatal assault injuries resulted
from a firearm from 2001 to 2011 (figure 11). In 2007-11,
the average number of nonfatal injuries from a firearm
increased slightly to 51,810.
The differences noted between the NCVS and NEISSAIP firearm injury estimates are due in part to a variety
of technical issues. Both estimates are generated from
samples and are subject to sampling error. The NCVS is a
residential household survey that does not include the
homeless, persons in institutional settings such as jails,
prisons, mental health facilities, and certain other group
quarters. Therefore, NCVS may miss injuries that involve
persons who are homeless, victims who require lengthy
stays in a hospital, and offenders who are incarcerated or
placed in other institutional settings after the incident.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

Figure 11
Nonfatal firearm injuries, 2001–2011
Number of injuries
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 ! 2008 2009 2010 2011

Note: See appendix table 20 for numbers and standard errors.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on fewer than 20 NEISS cases (based
on unweighted data), national estimates less than 1,200 (based on weighted
data), or the coefficient of variation (CV) of the estimate greater than 30%.
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Electronic Injury
Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP), 2001–2011. Accessed from
the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.

11

The majority of firearm violence is reported to the
police
In 2007-11, about 61% of nonfatal firearm violence was
reported to the police, compared to 46% of nonfirearm
violence (table 10). Among the nonfatal firearm
victimizations that went unreported in 2007-11, the most
common reasons victims gave for not reporting the crime
was fear of reprisal (31%) and that the police could not or
would not do anything to help (27%).
In 2007-11, about 1% of nonfatal violent crime victims
used a firearm in self defense
In 2007-11, there were 235,700 victimizations where the
victim used a firearm to threaten or attack an offender (table
11). This amounted to approximately 1% of all nonfatal
violent victimizations in the 5-year period. The percentage
of nonfatal violent victimizations involving firearm use in

self defense remained stable at under 2% from 1993 to 2011
(not shown in table). In 2007-11, about 44% of victims of
nonfatal violent crime offered no resistance, 1% attacked or
threatened the offender with another type of weapon, 22%
attacked or threatened without a weapon (e.g., hit or kicked),
and 26% used nonconfrontational methods (e.g., yelling,
running, hiding, or arguing).
In instances where the victim was armed with a firearm,
the offender was also armed with a gun in 32% of the
victimizations, compared to 63% of victimizations where the
offender was armed with a lesser weapon, such as a knife, or
unarmed (not shown in table). A small number of property
crime victims also used a firearm in self defense (103,000
victims or about 0.1% of all property victimizations);
however, the majority of victims (86%) were not present
during the incident. No information was available on the
number of homicide victims that attempted to defend
themselves with a firearm or by other means.

TABLE 10
Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence reported and not reported to police, 2007–2011
Total nonfatal violence
100%
46.9%
51.7%
100%
35.0
18.4
16.7
6.5
5.1
18.2

Total
Reported
Not reported
Reason not reported
Dealt with it another way
Not important enough to respondent
Police could not or would not help
Fear of reprisal
Did not want to get offender in trouble advised not to report
Other/unknown/not one most important reason

Firearm violence
100%
61.5%
37.6%
100%
12.1
6.2
27.1
31.3
4.3 !
19.0

Nonfirearm violence
100%
45.7%
52.9%
100%
36.4
19.1
16.1
5.1
5.1
18.2

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Reasons for not reporting represent the reason the victim stated was most important. See appendix table 21 for
standard errors.
!Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

TABLE 11
Self-protective behaviors, by type of crime, 2007–2011
Violent crime
Self-protective behavior
Total
Offered no resistance
Threatened or attacked with a firearm
Threatened or attacked with other weapon
Threatened or attacked without a weapon
Nonconfrontational tacticsa
Other
Unknown
Victim was not presentb

Number
29,618,300
12,987,300
235,700
391,100
6,552,900
7,768,700
1,641,300
41,300
~

Percent
100%
43.8
0.8
1.3
22.1
26.2
5.5
0.1
~

Property crime
Number
Percent
84,495,500
100%
10,162,000
12.0
103,000
0.1
38,200
-421,300
0.5
1,187,100
1.4
223,400
0.3
12,200 !
-72,348,200
85.6

Note: See appendix table 22 for standard errors.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
~Not applicable.
--Less than 0.05%.
aIncludes yelling, running, or arguing.
bIncludes property crime where the victim was not present.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

12

Firearm use by offenders
In 2004, an estimated 16% of state prison inmates and
18% of federal inmates reported that they used, carried,
or possessed a firearm when they committed the crime
for which they were serving a prison sentence (table 12).
This represented a slight change from 1997, where an
estimated 18% of state prison inmates and 16% of federal
inmates reported having a firearm when they committed
the crime for their current sentence. During the offense
that brought them to prison, 13% of state inmates and
16% of federal inmates carried a handgun. In addition,
about 1% had a rifle and another 2% had a shotgun. Of
inmates armed with a firearm during the offense, about
7% of state inmates and 8% of federal inmates were
armed with either a single shot firearm or a conventional
semiautomatic, and 2% of state inmates and 3% of federal
inmates were armed with a military-style semiautomatic or
fully automatic firearm (table 13).

TABLE 12
Possession of firearms by state and federal prison inmates
at time of offense, by type of firearm, 1997 and 2004
1997
Type of firearm
Total
Firearm
Handgun
Rifle
Shotgun
Other
No firearm

State
100%
18.3%
15.1
1.3
2.3
0.4
81.7%

2004
Federal
100%
15.8%
13.6
1.4
2.1
0.5
84.2%

State
100%
15.8%
13.3
1.3
1.7
0.1
84.2%

Federal
100%
17.8%
15.5
1.5
2.0
0.1
82.2%

Note: Includes only inmates with a current conviction. Estimates may differ
from previously published BJS reports. To account for differences in the 1997
and 2004 inmate survey questionnaires, the analytical methodology used in
1997 was revised to ensure comparability with the 2004 survey. Detail may
not sum to total as inmates may have had possessed more than one firearm.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State and Federal
Correctional Facilities, 1997 and 2004.

In 2004, among state prison inmates who possessed a gun
at the time of offense, fewer than 2% bought their firearm
at a flea market or gun show, about 10% purchased it from
a retail store or pawnshop, 37% obtained it from family or
friends, and another 40% obtained it from an illegal source
(table 14). This was similar to the percentage distribution
in 1997.

TABLE 14
Source of firearms possessed by state prison inmates at
time of offense, 1997 and 2004
Source of firearm
Total
Purchased or traded from—
Retail store
Pawnshop
Flea market
Gun show
Family or friend
Purchased or traded
Rented or borrowed
Other
Street/illegal source
Theft or burglary
Drug dealer/off street
Fence/black market
Other

Percent of state prison inmates
1997
2004
100%
100%
14.0%
11.3%
8.2
7.3
4.0
2.6
1.0
0.6
0.8
0.8
40.1%
37.4%
12.6
12.2
18.9
14.1
8.5
11.1
37.3%
40.0%
9.1
7.5
20.3
25.2
8.0
7.4
8.7%
11.2%

Note: Includes only inmates with a current conviction. Estimates may differ
from previously published BJS reports. To account for differences in the 1997
and 2004 inmate survey questionnaires, the analytical methodology used in
1997 was revised to ensure comparability with the 2004 survey.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State and Federal
Correctional Facilities, 1997 and 2004.

TABLE 13
Possession of firearms by state and federal prison inmates
at time of offense, by specific type of firearm, 1997 and
2004
Specific type of firearm
Single shot
Conventional semiautomatic
Military-style semiautomatic or
fully automatic
Other

1997
State Federal
9.9%
7.6%
7.8
8.3

State
7.5%
6.6

1.5
0.1

2.0
0.1

1.7
0.2

2004
Federal
8.2%
7.9
3.2
0.1

Note: Includes only inmates with a current conviction. Estimates may differ
from previously published BJS reports. To account for differences in the 1997
and 2004 inmate survey questionnaires, the analytical methodology used in
1997 was revised to ensure comparability with the 2004 survey.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State and Federal
Correctional Facilities, 1997 and 2004.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

13

Methodology
Estimates in this report are based primarily on data from
the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the National Center
for Health Statistics’ (NCHS) Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention Center for Disease Control’s Web-based
Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).
Additional estimates come from the School-Associated
Violent Deaths Surveillance Study (SAVD), the National
Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program
(NEISS-AIP) data, the FBI’s Supplemental Homicide Reports
(SHR), the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
(SISCF), and the Survey of Inmates in Federal Correctional
Facilities (SIFCF).
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
The NCVS is an annual data collection conducted by the U.S.
Census Bureau for BJS. The NCVS is a self-report survey
in which interviewed persons are asked about the number
and characteristics of victimizations experienced during
the prior 6 months. The NCVS collects information on
nonfatal personal crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery,
aggravated assault, simple assault, and personal larceny) and
household property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft,
and other theft) both reported and not reported to police.
In addition to providing annual level and change estimates
on criminal victimization, the NCVS is the primary source
of information on the nature of criminal victimization
incidents. Survey respondents provide information about
themselves (such as age, sex, race and ethnicity, marital
status, education level, and income) and if they experienced
a victimization. For crime victims, data are collected about
each victimization incident, including information about the
offender (such as age, race and ethnicity, sex, and victimoffender relationship), characteristics of the crime (including
time and place of occurrence, use of weapons, nature of
injury, and economic consequences), whether the crime was
reported to police, reasons why the crime was or was not
reported, and experiences with the criminal justice system.
The NCVS is administered to persons age 12 or older from a
nationally representative sample of households in the United
States. In 2011, about 143,120 persons age 12 or older from
79,800 households across the country were interviewed
during the year. Once selected, households remain in the
sample for 3 years, and eligible persons in these households
are interviewed every 6 months for a total of seven
interviews. New households rotate into the sample on an
ongoing basis to replace outgoing households that have been
in sample for the 3-year period. The sample includes persons
living in group quarters (such as dormitories, rooming
houses, and religious group dwellings) and excludes persons

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

living in military barracks and institutional settings (such
as correctional or hospital facilities) and the homeless. (For
more information, see the Survey Methodology for Criminal
Victimization in the United States, 2008, NCJ 231173, BJS
website, May 2011.)
The 79,800 households that participated in the NCVS in
2011 represent a 90% household response rate. The person
level response rate—the percentage of persons age 12 or
older in participating households who completed an NCVS
interview—was 88% in 2011.
For this report, prior to applying the weights to the data,
all victimizations that occurred outside of the U.S. were
excluded. From 1993 to 2011, less than 1% of the unweighted
violent victimizations occurred outside of the U.S. and was
excluded from the analyses.
Weighting adjustments for estimating personal
victimization
Estimates in this report use data primarily from the 1993 to
2011 NCVS data files weighted to produce annual estimates
for persons age 12 or older living in U.S. households.
Because the NCVS relies on a sample rather than a census
of the entire U.S. population, weights are designed to inflate
sample point estimates to known population totals and to
compensate for survey nonresponse and other aspects of the
sample design.
The NCVS data files include both household and person
weights. The household weight is commonly used to
calculate estimates of property crimes, such as motor vehicle
theft or burglary, which are identified with the household.
Person weights provide an estimate of the population
represented by each person in the sample. Person weights
are most frequently used to compute estimates of crime
victimizations of persons in the total population. Both
household and person weights, after proper adjustment, are
also used to form the denominator in calculations of crime
rates.
The victimization weights used in this analysis account
for the number of persons present during an incident and
for repeat victims of series incidents. The weight counts
series incidents as the actual number of incidents reported
by the victim, up to a maximum of ten incidents. Series
victimizations are victimizations that are similar in type
but occur with such frequency that a victim is unable to
recall each individual event or to describe each event in
detail. Survey procedures allow NCVS interviewers to
identify and classify these similar victimizations as series
victimizations and collect detailed information on only
the most recent incident in the series. In 2011, about 2%
of all victimizations were series incidents. Weighting series
incidents as the number of incidents up to a maximum of

14

ten produces more reliable estimates of crime levels, while
the cap at ten minimizes the effect of extreme outliers on
the rates. Additional information on the series enumeration
is detailed in Methods for Counting High Frequency Repeat
Victimizations in the National Crime Victimization Survey,
NCJ 237308, BJS website, April 2012.
Standard error computations
When national estimates are derived from a sample, as
is the case with the NCVS, caution must be taken when
comparing one estimate to another estimate or when
comparing estimates over time. Although one estimate may
be larger than another, estimates based on a sample have
some degree of sampling error. The sampling error of an
estimate depends on several factors, including the amount
of variation in the responses, the size of the sample, and the
size of the subgroup for which the estimate is computed.
When the sampling error around the estimates is taken into
consideration, the estimates that appear different may, in
fact, not be statistically different.
One measure of the sampling error associated with an
estimate is the standard error. The standard error can vary
from one estimate to the next. In general, for a given metric,
an estimate with a smaller standard error provides a more
reliable approximation of the true value than an estimate
with a larger standard error. Estimates with relatively large
standard errors are associated with less precision and
reliability and should be interpreted with caution.
In order to generate standard errors around estimates
from the NCVS, the Census Bureau produces generalized
variance function (GVF) parameters for BJS. The GVFs take
into account aspects of the NCVS complex sample design
and represent the curve fitted to a selection of individual
standard errors based on the Jackknife Repeated Replication
technique. The GVF parameters were used to generate
standard errors for each point estimate (such as counts,
percentages, and rates) in the report. For average annual
estimates, standard errors were based on the ratio of the
sums of victimizations and respondents across years.
In this report, BJS conducted tests to determine whether
differences in estimated numbers and percentages were
statistically significant once sampling error was taken into
account. Using statistical programs developed specifically
for the NCVS, all comparisons in the text were tested for
significance. The primary test procedure used was Student’s
t-statistic, which tests the difference between two sample
estimates. To ensure that the observed differences between
estimates were larger than might be expected due to
sampling variation, the significance level was set at the 95%
confidence level.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

Data users can use the estimates and the standard errors of
the estimates provided in this report to generate a confidence
interval around the estimate as a measure of the margin of
error. The following example illustrates how standard errors
can be used to generate confidence intervals:
According to the NCVS, in 2011, the rate of nonfatal
firearm violence was 1.8 per 1,000 (see table 1). Using the
GVFs, BJS determined that the estimate has a standard
error of 0.2 (see appendix table 3). A confidence interval
around the estimate was generated by multiplying the
standard errors by ±1.96 (the t-score of a normal, twotailed distribution that excludes 2.5% at either end of the
distribution). Thus, the confidence interval around the
1.8 estimate from 2011 is 1.8 ± 0.2 (0.2 X 1.96) or (1.4 to
2.2). In other words, if different samples using the same
procedures were taken from the U.S. population in 2011,
95% of the time the rate of nonfatal firearm violence was
between 1.4 and 2.2 per 1,000.
In this report, BJS also calculated a coefficient of variation
(CV) for all estimates, representing the ratio of the standard
error to the estimate. CVs provide a measure of reliability
and a means to compare the precision of estimates across
measures with differing levels or metrics. If the CV was
greater than 50%, or the unweighted sample had 10 or fewer
cases, the estimate would have been noted with a “!” symbol
(interpret data with caution; estimate is based on 10 or fewer
sample cases, or the coefficient of variation exceeds 50%).
Many of the variables examined in this report may be related
to one another and to other variables not included in the
analyses. Complex relationships among variables were not
fully explored in this report and warrant more extensive
analysis. Readers are cautioned not to draw causal inferences
based on the results presented.
Methodological changes to the NCVS in 2006
Methodological changes implemented in 2006 may have
affected the crime estimates for that year to such an extent
that they are not comparable to estimates from other years.
Evaluation of 2007 and later data from the NCVS conducted
by BJS and the Census Bureau found a high degree of
confidence that estimates for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 are
consistent with and comparable to estimates for 2005 and
previous years. The reports, Criminal Victimization, 2006,
NCJ 219413, December 2007; Criminal Victimization, 2007,
NCJ 224390, December 2008; Criminal Victimization, 2008,
NCJ 227777, September 2009; Criminal Victimization, 2009,
NCJ 231327, October 2010; Criminal Victimization, 2010,
NCJ 235508, September 2011; and Criminal Victimization,
2011, NCJ 239437, October 2012, are available on the BJS
website.

15

Although caution is warranted when comparing data from
2006 to other years, the aggregation of multiple years of data
in this report diminishes the potential variation between
2006 and other years. In general, findings do not change
significantly if data for 2006 are excluded from the analyses.
Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting
System Fatal (WISQARS™ Fatal)
WISQARS Fatal provides mortality data related to injury.
The mortality data reported in WISQARS Fatal come from
death certificate data reported to the CDC’s National Center
for Health Statistics (NCHS). Data include causes of death
reported by attending physicians, medical examiners, and
coroners. It also includes demographic information about
decedents reported by funeral directors, who obtain that
information from family members and other informants.
NCHS collects, compiles, verifies, and prepares these data
for release to the public. The data provide information
about what types of injuries are leading causes of deaths,
how common they are, and who they affect. These data are
intended for a broad audience—the public, the media, public
health practitioners and researchers, and public health
officials—to increase their knowledge of injury.
WISQARS Fatal mortality reports provide tables of the total
numbers of injury-related deaths and the death rates per
100,000 U.S. population. The reports list deaths according to
cause (mechanism) and intent (manner) of injury by state,
race, Hispanic origin, sex, and age groupings. Data in this
report are provided for homicides by firearm from 1993 to
2010, including some preliminary 2011 estimates. The injury
mortality data were classified based on the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 classification system
from 1999 and later, and the ICD-9 system for 1998
and earlier. The comparability study showed that the
comparability for homicide and firearm homicide between
the two systems was very high; therefore, data are shown
from both periods.3
National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All
Injury Program (NEISS-AIP)
The NEISS-AIP is operated by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC). It is a collaborative effort by the
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
and CPSC. The NEISS is a national probability sample of
hospitals in the U.S. and its territories. Data are collected
about all types and external causes of nonfatal injuries and
poisonings treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments,
whether or not they are associated with consumer
products. This report uses the estimates on nonfatal assault
injuries from a firearm. This excludes injuries that were
unintentional, by legal intervention, or self-harm.
3National Center for Health Statistics. (2001). Comparability of cause of
death between ICD-9 and ICD-10: Preliminary estimates. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr49/nvsr49_02.pdf.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance Study
(SAVD)
The SAVD is an epidemiological study developed by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education and
the U.S. Department of Justice. SAVD seeks to describe
the epidemiology of school-associated violent deaths,
identify common features of these deaths, estimate the rate
of school-associated violent death in the United States,
and identify potential risk factors for these deaths. The
surveillance system includes descriptive data on all schoolassociated violent deaths in the United States, including all
homicides, suicides, or legal intervention in which the fatal
injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary
or secondary school; while the victim was on the way to or
from regular sessions at such a school; or while attending
or on the way to or from an official school-sponsored event.
Victims of such incidents include nonstudents, as well as
students and staff members. SAVD includes descriptive
information about the school, event, victim(s), and
offender(s). The SAVD Surveillance System has collected
data from July 1, 1992, through the present.
SAVD uses a four-step process to identify and collect data on
school-associated violent deaths. Cases are initially identified
through a search of the LexisNexis newspaper and media
database. Then law enforcement officials are contacted to
confirm the details of the case and to determine if the event
meets the case definition. Once a case is confirmed, a law
enforcement official and a school official are interviewed
regarding details about the school, event, victim(s), and
offender(s). A copy of the full law enforcement report is
also sought for each case. The information obtained on
schools includes school demographics, attendance/absentee
rates, suspensions/expulsions and mobility, school history
of weapon-carrying incidents, security measures, violence
prevention activities, school response to the event, and
school policies about weapon carrying. Event information
includes the location of injury, the context of injury (e.g.,
while classes were being held or during break), motives for
injury, method of injury, and school and community events
happening around the time period. Information obtained
on victim(s) and offender(s) includes demographics,
circumstances of the event (date/time, alcohol or drug
use, and number of persons involved), types and origins of
weapons, criminal history, psychological risk factors, schoolrelated problems, extracurricular activities, and family
history, including structure and stressors.
For several reasons, all data from 1999 to the present are
flagged as preliminary. For some recent data, the interviews
with school and law enforcement officials to verify case
details have not been completed. The details learned during
the interviews can occasionally change the classification
of a case. Also, new cases may be identified because of
the expansion of the scope of the media files used for case
identification. Sometimes other cases not identified during
16

earlier data years using the independent case finding efforts
(which focus on nonmedia sources of information) will be
discovered. Also, other cases may occasionally be identified
while the law enforcement and school interviews are being
conducted to verify known cases.
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program,
Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR)
The FBI’s SHR were used for information about gun
type used in firearm homicides. The UCR program
collects and publishes criminal offense, arrest, and law
enforcement personnel statistics. Under the UCR program,
law enforcement agencies submit information to the FBI
monthly. Offense information is collected on the eight Part I
offenses: homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault,
burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The
UCR program collects data on only those crimes that come
to the attention of law enforcement.
Homicide incident information—through SHR data—is
submitted with details on location, victim, and offender
characteristics. Homicide is defined as murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, which is the willful killing of one
human being by another. The analyses excludes deaths
caused by negligence, suicide, or accident; justifiable
homicides; and attempts to murder. Deaths from the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are not included in
any of the analyses.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

Not all agencies that report offense information to the FBI
also submit supplemental data on homicides. About 90
percent of homicides are included in the SHR. However,
adjustments can be made to the weights to correct for
missing victim reports. Estimates from the SHR used in this
report were generated by BJS using a weight developed by
BJS that reconciles the counts of SHR homicide victims with
those in the UCR for the 1992 through 2011 data years.
Surveys of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional
Facilities (SISCF and SIFCF)
The SISCF and the SIFCF have provided nationally
representative data on state prison inmates and sentenced
federal inmates held in federally owned and operated
facilities. The SISCF was conducted in 1974, 1979, 1986,
1991, 1997, and 2004, and the SIFCF in 1991, 1997, and
2004. The 2004 SISCF was conducted for BJS by the U.S.
Census Bureau, which also conducted the SIFCF for BJS
and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Both surveys provide
information about current offense and criminal history,
family background and personal characteristics, prior
drug and alcohol use and treatment, gun possession, and
prison treatment, programs, and services. The surveys
are the only national source of detailed information on
criminal offenders, particularly special populations such
as drug and alcohol users and offenders who have mental
health problems. Systematic random sampling was used
to select the inmates, and the 2004 surveys of state and
federal inmates were administered through CAPI. In 2004,
14,499 state prisoners in 287 state prisons and 3,686 federal
prisoners in 39 federal prisons were interviewed.

17

APPENDIX TABLE 1
Numbers and rates for figure 1: Firearm homicides,
1993–2011
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Number
18,253
17,527
15,551
14,037
13,252
11,798
10,828
10,801
11,348
11,829
11,920
11,624
12,352
12,791
12,632
12,179
11,493
11,078
11,101

Rate per 100,000 persons
7.0
6.7
5.8
5.2
4.9
4.3
3.9
3.8
4.0
4.1
4.1
4.0
4.2
4.3
4.2
4.0
3.8
3.6
3.6

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

APPENDIX TABLE 2
Numbers, rates, and standard errors for figure 2: Nonfatal firearm victimizations, 1993–2011
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Number
1,529,700
1,568,200
1,193,200
1,100,800
1,024,100
835,400
640,900
610,200
563,100
540,000
467,300
456,500
503,500
614,400
554,800
371,300
410,100
415,000
467,300

Standard error
104,582
83,431
70,572
68,653
72,643
69,401
54,713
55,220
53,309
50,299
47,783
47,513
55,594
61,310
55,886
45,794
48,765
47,172
53,197

Rate per 1,000 persons
age 12 or older
7.3
7.4
5.5
5.1
4.7
3.8
2.9
2.7
2.5
2.3
2.0
1.9
2.1
2.5
2.2
1.5
1.6
1.6
1.8

Standard error
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

18

APPENDIX TABLE 3
Standard errors for table 1: Criminal firearm violence, 1993–2011
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

Total fatal and nonfatal
firearm violence
105,349
84,005
71,131
69,183
73,220
70,022
55,268
55,810
53,967
50,946
48,494
48,200
56,378
62,038
56,652
46,637
49,561

2010
2011

47,913
53,942

Nonfatal firearm
victimizations
104,582
83,431
70,572
68,653
72,643
69,401
54,713
55,220
53,309
50,299
47,783
47,513
55,594
61,310
55,886
45,794
48,765
47,172
53,197

Number
Nonfatal firearm
incidents
91,169
73,911
64,501
62,377
66,331
60,556
48,457
48,015
49,987
45,234
42,668
44,433
51,864
57,669
49,166
42,966
46,881
44,695
49,563

Rate of nonfatal
Percent of all violence
firearm victimization involving firearms
0.5
0.6%
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.5
0.3
0.5
0.3
0.5
0.2
0.5
0.2
0.6
0.2
0.7
0.2
0.6
0.2
0.6
0.2
0.7
0.2
0.8
0.2
0.7
0.2
0.8
0.2
0.7
0.2
0.8
0.2
0.2

0.9
0.8

~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 4
Standard errors for table 2: Percent of violence involving a
firearm, by type of crime, 1993–2011
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Nonfatal violence
0.6%
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.8
0.9
0.8

Robbery
2.2%
1.9
2.1
2.0
2.2
2.5
2.3
2.6
3.4
3.2
3.1
3.2
3.3
2.7
2.9
3.3
3.8
3.7
4.0

Aggravated assault
1.9%
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.7
1.9
1.8
2.2
2.3
2.5
2.3
2.4
2.8
2.4
2.9
3.1
2.9
3.1
3.2

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1993–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

19

APPENDIX TABLE 5
Standard errors for table 3: Criminal firearm violence, by type of firearm, 1994–2011
Handgun
Year
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Number
94,313
77,109
66,253
68,335
68,151
63,909
57,439
53,625
48,977
46,655
45,846
50,621
56,341
56,630
48,199
47,110
50,636
43,185

Percent
1.8%
1.6
1.9
2.3
2.6
2.5
2.8
3.1
3.1
3.2
3.6
3.8
3.1
3.2
3.6
3.7
3.1
3.1

Nonfatal violence
Other firearm
Number
Percent
26,713
1.6%
21,832
1.5
21,995
1.8
25,950
2.2
25,521
2.5
18,379
2.3
17,323
2.6
17,115
2.7
16,006
2.7
14,670
2.7
15,535
3.1
17,269
3.3
15,872
2.7
18,308
2.9
16,622
3.3
14,157
3.4
11,837
2.7
13,868
2.9

Gun type unknown
Number
Percent
6,951
0.4%
4,899
0.4
4,366
0.4
5,534
0.5
4,522
0.5
4,189
0.6
4,260
0.7
7,586
1.3
7,929
1.4
7,392
1.4
8,509
1.8
8,153
1.7
8,415
1.5
6,598
1.1
4,666
1.0
4,688
1.2
4,313
1.0
2,676
0.6

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 6
Numbers and rates for figure 3: Firearm homicides, by sex,
1993–2010
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

Number
Male
Female
15,228
3,025
14,766
2,761
13,021
2,530
11,735
2,302
11,147
2,105
9,771
2,027
8,944
1,884
9,006
1,795
9,532
1,816
9,899
1,930
10,126
1,794
9,921
1,703
10,561
1,791
10,886
1,905
10,767
1,865
10,361
1,818
9,615
1,878
9,340
1,738

Rate per 100,000 persons
Male
Female
12.0
2.3
11.5
2.1
10.0
1.9
8.9
1.7
8.4
1.5
7.2
1.4
6.5
1.3
6.5
1.3
6.8
1.3
7.0
1.3
7.1
1.2
6.9
1.1
7.3
1.2
7.4
1.3
7.3
1.2
6.9
1.2
6.4
1.2
6.2
1.1

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

APPENDIX TABLE 7
Rates and standard errors for figure 4: Nonfatal firearm
violence, by sex, 1994–2011
Year
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Rate*
10.1
9.3
7.6
6.4
5.5
4.4
3.7
3.5
2.9
2.7
2.5
2.5
2.8
2.8
2.2
2.0
2.0
1.9

Male
Standard error
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2

Rate*
4.7
3.7
3.1
3.5
3.0
2.3
1.9
1.7
1.9
1.6
1.4
1.4
1.8
1.9
1.5
1.1
1.2
1.6

Female
Standard error
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2

*Per 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1993–2011.

20

APPENDIX TABLE 8
Numbers and rates for figure 5: Firearm homicides, by race, 1993–2010
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

White
7,918
7,774
7,144
6,240
6,025
5,412
4,918
4,806
5,188
5,185
5,173
5,119
5,266
5,279
5,380
5,305
4,950
4,647

Black
9,824
9,302
7,935
7,403
6,841
6,053
5,577
5,699
5,885
6,285
6,397
6,201
6,703
7,113
6,960
6,569
6,216
6,151

Number
American Indian/
Alaska Native
106
123
130
90
96
99
104
86
87
117
109
104
117
119
91
97
112
113

Asian/Pacific
Islander
405
328
342
304
290
234
229
210
188
242
241
200
266
280
201
208
215
167

White
3.7
3.6
3.2
2.8
2.7
2.4
2.2
2.1
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.0
1.9

Rate per 100,000 persons
American Indian/
Black
Alaska Native
30.1
4.6
28.0
5.2
23.4
5.3
21.5
3.6
19.5
3.7
17.0
3.6
15.4
3.7
15.6
2.9
15.8
2.8
16.7
3.7
16.7
3.3
16.0
3.0
17.1
3.3
17.9
3.2
17.2
2.4
16.0
2.4
14.9
2.7
14.6
2.7

Asian/Pacific
Islander
4.6
3.6
3.6
3.0
2.8
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.5
1.9
1.8
1.4
1.8
1.9
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.0

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

APPENDIX TABLE 9
Numbers and rates for figure 6: Firearm homicides,
by Hispanic origin, 1993–2010
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

Number
Hispanic Non-Hispanic
3,192
14,597
3,149
14,065
3,008
12,260
2,529
11,229
2,298
10,868
2,090
9,620
1,939
8,821
1,958
8,767
2,123
9,134
2,168
9,575
2,316
9,536
2,241
9,323
2,453
9,835
2,472
10,260
2,385
10,193
2,260
9,882
2,115
9,275
1,919
9,082

Rate per 100,000 persons
Hispanic Non-Hispanic
12.4
6.3
11.7
6.0
10.7
5.2
8.6
4.7
7.4
4.5
6.5
4.0
5.7
3.6
5.6
3.6
5.7
3.7
5.6
3.9
5.8
3.8
5.4
3.7
5.7
3.9
5.5
4.0
5.2
4.0
4.7
3.9
4.3
3.6
3.8
3.5

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

21

APPENDIX TABLE 10
Rates and standard errors for figure 7: Nonfatal firearm violence, by race and Hispanic origin, 1994–2011

Year
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

White
Standard
Rate* error
5.2
0.3
4.6
0.3
3.9
0.2
4.0
0.3
3.4
0.3
2.2
0.2
1.8
0.2
2.0
0.2
1.7
0.2
1.5
0.2
1.7
0.2
1.6
0.2
1.7
0.2
1.4
0.2
1.0
0.1
0.9
0.1
1.0
0.1
1.4
0.1

Black
Standard
Rate* error
16.3
1.3
14.2
1.1
11.6
0.9
9.4
0.9
7.4
0.8
7.9
0.9
7.0
0.8
5.0
0.7
5.6
0.7
5.7
0.7
4.4
0.6
4.2
0.7
4.4
0.7
7.1
0.9
6.9
0.8
5.1
0.7
4.5
0.7
2.8
0.4

Hispanic
Standard
Rate* error
12.7
1.4
12.1
1.1
9.3
0.9
6.9
0.8
5.6
0.8
5.0
0.8
4.7
0.7
3.8
0.6
3.7
0.6
2.6
0.4
1.5
0.3
2.2
0.4
3.4
0.6
3.0
0.5
1.9
0.4
1.7
0.4
2.1
0.4
2.2
0.4

American Indian/
Alaska Native
Asian/Pacific Islander
Standard
Standard
Rate* error
Rate* error
15.3 !
5.3
10.3
2.0
16.3
4.9
4.9
1.1
13.3 !
4.4
3.4
0.9
3.7 !
2.6
2.0
0.7
20.9 !
6.6
3.9
1.0
25.1 !
7.5
4.0
1.1
4.8 !
3.2
1.9
0.7
1.1 !
1.5
1.5 !
0.6
1.1 !
1.4
0.9 !
0.4
-~
1.0 !
0.5
-~
1.1 !
0.5
-~
1.2 !
0.5
1.8 !
1.9
2.1 !
0.7
3.3 !
2.4
1.7 !
0.6
3.2 !
2.3
1.0 !
0.5
2.9 !
2.3
0.9 !
0.4
9.2 !
4.2
0.3 !
0.2
8.6 !
3.4
0.6 !
0.3

Two or more races
Standard
Rate* error
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
0.9 !
1.1
2.8 !
2.0
4.0 !
2.2
4.7 !
2.1
2.7 !
1.5
1.4 !
1.2
5.7 !
2.5
7.6
2.3

*Per 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
~Not applicable.
--Less than 0.05.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 11
Numbers for table 4: Firearm homicides, by age, 1993–2011
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

11 or
younger
240
176
183
178
174
157
142
110
150
151
121
105
111
142
140
140
142
127

12–17
1,735
1,736
1,597
1,295
1,134
888
859
709
685
721
684
763
810
940
898
844
745
708

18–24
5,673
5,435
4,726
4,334
4,148
3,753
3,319
3,371
3,611
3,708
3,840
3,485
3,808
4,030
3,895
3,662
3,398
3,273

25–34
5,295
5,059
4,448
3,918
3,706
3,231
3,048
3,074
3,308
3,465
3,540
3,503
3,780
3,767
3,751
3,612
3,300
3,331

35–49
3,808
3,700
3,222
3,030
2,905
2,669
2,419
2,488
2,530
2,646
2,624
2,533
2,689
2,688
2,737
2,655
2,538
2,294

50 or
older
1,476
1,399
1,351
1,266
1,168
1,082
1,026
1,037
1,053
1,125
1,093
1,214
1,145
1,216
1,202
1,264
1,364
1,340

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

22

APPENDIX TABLE 12
Standard errors for table 4: Nonfatal firearm violence,
by age, 1994–2011
Year
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

12-17
1.2
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.5
0.7
0.6
0.3
0.2
0.3

18-24
1.4
1.2
1.0
1.1
1.1
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.5
0.6
0.8
0.6

25-34
0.8
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3

35-49
0.6
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2

50 or older
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1

*Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
!Interpret with caution. Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient
of variation is greater than 50%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
1993–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 13
Numbers and rates for figure 8: Firearm homicides, by region, 1993–2011
Number
Year
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

Northeast
2,918
2,489
2,100
1,838
1,641
1,347
1,327
1,391
1,407
1,406
1,489
1,485
1,554
1,715
1,577
1,506
1,440
1,552

South
7,863
7,577
6,659
6,248
6,020
5,434
4,905
4,846
4,989
5,292
5,395
5,164
5,536
5,701
6,055
5,778
5,438
5,082

Midwest
3,365
3,391
2,980
2,791
2,661
2,490
2,319
2,284
2,477
2,381
2,324
2,212
2,387
2,505
2,354
2,439
2,359
2,296

West
4,107
4,070
3,812
3,160
2,930
2,527
2,277
2,280
2,475
2,750
2,712
2,763
2,875
2,870
2,646
2,456
2,256
2,148

Northeast
5.6
4.8
4.0
3.5
3.1
2.5
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.6
2.7
2.7
2.9
3.2
2.9
2.7
2.6
2.8

Rate per 100,000 persons
South
Midwest
8.7
5.5
8.3
5.5
7.1
4.8
6.6
4.4
6.3
4.2
5.6
3.9
5.0
3.6
4.8
3.6
4.9
3.8
5.1
3.7
5.2
3.6
4.9
3.4
5.2
3.6
5.2
3.8
5.5
3.6
5.2
3.7
4.8
3.5
4.4
3.4

West
7.3
7.1
6.5
5.3
4.9
4.1
3.7
3.6
3.8
4.2
4.1
4.1
4.2
4.2
3.8
3.5
3.2
3.0

Source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), 1993–2010. Retrieved March 2013 from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

23

APPENDIX TABLE 14
Rates and standard errors for figure 9: Nonfatal firearm violence, by region, 1997–2011
Year
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Rate*
3.1
2.1
1.4
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.0
0.8
0.9
1.2
0.9
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.3

Northeast
Standard error
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2

Rate*
4.7
3.9
3.0
2.5
2.6
2.2
2.1
2.6
2.8
2.6
2.1
2.1
2.0
1.9
1.7

Midwest
Standard error
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3

Rate*
5.4
5.0
3.6
2.8
3.0
3.3
2.9
1.9
1.9
2.7
3.5
2.8
1.7
1.7
1.9

South
Standard error
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2

Rate*
5.7
5.1
4.9
4.5
2.8
2.0
1.9
2.2
1.9
2.2
1.9
1.1
1.4
1.8
1.8

West
Standard error
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3

*Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1996–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 15
Rates and standard errors for figure 10: Nonfatal firearm violence, by urban-rural location, 1994–2011
Urban
Year
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Rate*
10.6
10.1
8.4
7.3
6.2
5.3
4.8
4.4
4.4
3.7
3.0
3.4
3.3
2.6
2.2
2.6
2.8
2.5

Standard error
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3

Rate*
6.3
5.5
4.4
3.9
3.8
3.1
2.3
2.0
1.8
1.7
1.7
1.5
1.8
2.3
1.8
1.1
1.2
1.4

Suburban
Standard error
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2

Rural
Rate*
5.2
3.6
3.1
3.6
2.3
1.0
1.0
1.4
1.1
0.9
1.0
1.1
1.9
1.9
1.2
0.9
0.7
1.2

Standard error
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2

*Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

24

APPENDIX TABLE 16
Rates and standard errors for table 5: Nonfatal firearm violence, by population size, 1997–2011
Year
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Not a place
Standard
Rate* error
3.9
0.4
3.0
0.3
1.9
0.3
1.5
0.2
1.4
0.2
1.2
0.2
1.4
0.2
1.4
0.2
1.2
0.2
1.6
0.2
1.5
0.2
0.8
0.2
0.9
0.2
0.9
0.2
1.4
0.2

Under 100,000
Standard
Rate* error
3.8
0.3
3.9
0.3
3.1
0.3
2.2
0.2
2.1
0.2
2.3
0.2
2.0
0.2
1.4
0.2
1.6
0.2
2.1
0.2
2.6
0.3
2.1
0.2
1.1
0.2
1.2
0.2
1.2
0.2

100,000–249,999
Standard
Rate* error
7.0
0.9
4.8
0.8
3.1
0.6
3.9
0.7
4.1
0.7
2.8
0.6
2.8
0.5
3.0
0.6
2.9
0.6
2.6
0.6
2.7
0.5
2.1
0.5
2.2
0.5
1.8
0.5
1.3
0.3

250,000–499,999
Standard
Rate* error
10.3
1.3
7.0
1.1
5.5
1.0
6.5
1.1
6.1
1.1
3.9
0.8
3.3
0.7
4.1
0.9
3.6
0.9
2.6
0.8
2.4
0.7
3.2
0.8
3.0
0.8
2.8
0.8
3.9
0.8

500,000–999,999
Standard
Rate* error
7.3
1.3
9.2
1.6
9.0
1.6
6.3
1.3
5.5
1.2
4.9
1.1
5.1
1.1
5.5
1.2
4.5
1.2
3.8
1.0
5.4
1.1
4.9
1.0
4.0
1.0
5.1
1.1
4.6
0.9

1 million or more
Standard
Rate*
error
7.3
1.0
5.7
0.9
6.4
1.0
5.6
0.9
5.1
0.9
5.3
0.8
3.6
0.7
2.7
0.6
4.6
0.9
4.9
0.9
2.1
0.5
1.4
0.4
3.5
0.7
4.0
0.8
3.2
0.6

*Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1996–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 17
Standard errors for table 6: Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence, by victim-offender relationship, 2007–2011
Relationship
to victim
Total
Nonstranger
Intimate
Other relative
Friend/acquaintance
Stranger
Unknown

Total nonfatal violence
520,018
351,653
167,301
105,593
247,394
281,855
126,046

Number
107,331
56,980
27,453
24,480
39,620
74,319
34,768

Firearm violence
Percent of total violence
0.3%
0.3
0.6
1.1
0.4
0.6
1.1

Nonfirearm violence
Number
Percent of total violence
495,683
0.4%
341,349
0.4
163,040
0.6
100,985
1.2
240,775
0.5
262,843
0.7
118,113
1.2

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

25

APPENDIX TABLE 18
Standard errors for table 7: Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence, by location of crime, 2007–2011
Location
Total
Victims home or lodging
Near victim’s home
In, at, or near a friend, neighbor, or relative’s home
Commercial place
Parking lot or garage
School
Open area, on street, or public transportation
Other location

Total nonfatal violence
Number
Percent
520,094
~
204,185
0.6%
170,118
0.5
106,117
0.3
125,178
0.4
91,497
0.3
150,761
0.5
166,506
0.5
128,572
0.4

Firearm violence
Total number
Percent
107,331
~
42,032
1.6%
46,062
1.8
22,283
1.0
27,429
1.2
37,086
1.5
6,544
0.3
46,260
1.8
18,853
0.8

Nonfirearm violence
Total number
Percent
495,761
~
195,889
0.6%
159,113
0.5
102,275
0.3
120,070
0.4
80,309
0.3
150,471
0.5
155,261
0.5
126,101
0.4

~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 19
Standard errors for table 9: Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence, by injury and treatment received, 2007–2011
Injury and treatment
Injury
Not injured
Injured
Serious injuries
Gun shot
Minor injuries
Rape without other injuries
Treatment for injury
No treatment
Any treatment
Treatment setting
At the scene/home of victim, neighbor, or friend/
other location
In doctor’s office, hospital emergency room,
or overnight at hospital

Total nonfatal violence
Number
Percent
520,094
~
435,239
0.7%
221,742
0.6
76,874
0.2
12,758
-189,519
0.5
39,058
0.1
221,742
~
159,205
1.3%
130,902
1.2
130,902
~
70,643
101,753

Firearm violence
Total number
Percent
107,331
~
92,106
1.8%
46,376
1.8
23,654
1.0
12,758
0.6
38,061
1.5
4,232
0.2
46,376
~
22,999
3.7%
38,813
3.8
38,813
~

Nonfirearm violence
Total number
Percent
495,761
~
414,216
0.7%
212,304
0.6
73,196
0.3
~
~
182,281
0.6
38,750
0.1
212,304
~
156,054
1.3%
121,399
1.3
121,399
~

1.7%

15,653

3.8%

68,065

1.9%

1.8

34,730

3.8

92,599

1.9

--Less than 0.05%.
~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

26

APPENDIX TABLE 20
Numbers and standard errors for figure 11: Nonfatal firearm
injuries, 2001–2011
Year
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Number
41,044
37,321
42,505
43,592
50,320
52,748
48,676 !
56,626
44,466
53,738
55,544

Standard error
10,287
9,282
11,558
11,764
14,431
15,027
15,139
16,648
11,767
15,769
15,671

! Interpret with caution. Estimate based on fewer than 20 NEISS cases (based on
unweighted data), national estimates less than 1,200 (based on weighted data),
or the coefficient of variation (CV) of the estimate greater than 30%.
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Electronic Injury
Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP), 2001–2011, accessed from
the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.

APPENDIX TABLE 21
Standard errors for table 10: Nonfatal firearm and nonfirearm violence reported and not reported to police, 2007–2011
Total
Reported
Not reported
Reason not reported
Dealt with it another way
Not important enough to respondent
Police could not or would not do anything to help
Fear of reprisal
Did not want to get offender in trouble with law, or advised not to report
Other, unknown, or not one most important reason

Total nonfatal violence
~
0.7%
0.7
~
0.9%
0.7
0.7
0.4
0.4
0.7

Firearm violence
~
2.1%
2.1
~
2.1%
1.6
3.0
3.1
1.3
2.6

Nonfirearm violence
~
0.7%
0.8
~
0.9%
0.7
0.7
0.4
0.4
0.7

~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

APPENDIX TABLE 22
Standard errors for table 11: Self-protective behaviors, by type of crime, 2007–2011
Self-protective behavior
Total
Offered no resistance
Threatened or attacked with a firearm
Threatened or attacked with other weapon
Threatened or attacked without a weapon
Nonconfrontational tactics
Other reaction
Unknown reaction
Victim was not present

Violent crime
Total number
520,094
312,558
30,347
40,012
205,362
227,856
90,004
12,068
~

Percent
~
0.7%
0.1
0.1
0.6
0.6
0.3
-~

Property crime
Total number
Percent
619,179
~
295,645
0.3%
24,437
-14,630
-51,411
0.1
90,178
0.1
36,683
-8,176
-641,196
0.4

~Not applicable.
--Less than 0.05%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007–2011.

FIREARM VIOLENCE, 1993-2011 | MAY 2013

27

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistics agency of the U.S. Department of
Justice. William J. Sabol is acting director.
This report was written by Michael Planty, PhD. and Jennifer L. Truman, PhD.
Erica Smith, Tracy Snell, and Lauren Glaze provided statistical and technical
assistance. Erika Harrell, Tracy Snell, Lauren Glaze, and Alexia Cooper verified the
report.
Jill Thomas edited the report, and Tina Dorsey produced the report under the
supervision of Doris J. James.
May 2013, NCJ 241730

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~IIIII ~I
N C J

241 730

Office of Justice Programs
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