What is the Percent of Firearm Deaths involving Suicides? 67% over the last five years

We have previously examined this rate from 2011 to 2015, but the above chart updates that data from 2016 to 2020. The FBI only has firearm murder data up through 2020. The average over the last five years is 67%, down slightly from the five-year average from 2011 to 2015, which was 70 percent. The slightly lower rate was driven by the drop in 2020 due to the big increase in murders. Presumably, when the FBI firearm murder data for 2021 is finally released, it will continue to drop. This is important because the assumption is that all these lives will be saved if you get rid of guns. Most tellingly, gun bans may lower firearm suicides, but they don’t change total suicides.

The data comes from the FBI UCR and the CDC WISQARS.