Tennessee Gun Violence Stats

• 3rd for violent crime, according to the FBI Unified Crime Report (UCR)

  • Tennessee is 1st for violent crime of all the southern states​

​​

• 11th for overall firearm fatalities for all ages, according CDC Fatal Injury reports

  • Firearm fatalities include all forms of fatal gun violence, from homicides, suicides, unintentional shootings, and fatal shootings of unknown intent

  • Between 2011 and 2021, the rate of overall firearm fatalities increased 58 percent​

  • On average, 4.3 Tennesseans die every day from gun violence, or one person every 5.6 hours

​

• 9th for overall firearm fatalities for children, ages 0-17, according CDC Fatal Injury reports

  • Between 2011 and 2021​, the rate of overall firearm fatalities for children, ages 0-17 increased 180 percent

  • On average, 7.2 Tennessee kids are killed with a gun every month

  • Guns are the leading cause of death for Tennessee children

 

• 7th for firearm homicides for all ages, according CDC Fatal Injury reports

  • Firearm homicides include any murder committed with a gun

  • Between 2011 and 2021, the rate of firearm homicides for all ages increased 120 percent​

  • On average, there are two homicides every day in Tennessee

  • In 2011, 309 Tennesseans were killed with a gun vs 714 in 2021

​​

• 5th for firearm homicides for children, ages 0-17, according CDC Fatal Injury reports

  • Between 2011 and 2021, the rate of firearm homicides for children, ages 0-17, increased 155 percent​

  • On average, 4.8 Tennessee kids are murdered every month

  • In 2011, 20 Tennessee children were murdered vs 57 in 2021

  • Gun are the leading cause of death for Tennessee children

​​

• 17th for firearm suicides for all ages, according CDC Fatal Injury reports

  • Firearm suicides include any completed suicide committed with a gun

  • Between 2011 and 2021, the rate of firearm suicides for all ages increased 19 percent

  • 67 percent of all gun deaths in Tennessee are firearm suicides

  • On average, 2.2 Tennesseans use a gun to take their own life every day

  • 2021 saw a record number (814) of firearm suicides

​​

• 21st for firearm suicides for children, ages 0-17, according CDC Fatal Injury reports

  • Between 2013 and 2021, the rate of firearm for children, ages 0-17, increased 64% ​

  • 54 percent of all children who took their own life did so with a gun

  • Most children who use a gun to commit suicide use a gun they have access to in their home

​​

• 11th for women murdered by men, according to the Violence Policy Center

  • While Tennessee is ranked 11th according to the most recent 2020 data, in previous years going back to 2011, the state has consistently ranked in the top ten states for women murdered by men, most often with a gun and almost always by a man they know

  • Tennessee has been and remains one of the most dangerous states for women

​​

• 4th for Black homicide victimization, according to the Violence Policy Center

  • 47 of the Black homicide victims, or 10%, were under the age of 18​

  • 93% of the Black homicide victims were murdered with a gun

​​

• 4th for unintentional shootings involving children, according to the #NotAnAccident index

  • So far this year, there have already been 23 unintentional shootings involving Tennessee kids with access to unsecured guns, resulting in four deaths and 11 injuries. (There were 17 in 2022, resulting in nine deaths and eight injuries)

  • Only three other states (Texas, 20; Indiana, 19; and Ohio, 18) have had more than Tennessee​

  • Of the four deaths this year, three of them involved children under the age of eight.