A new analysis by the Center for American Progress (CAP) indicates a historic decline in gun violence for the second consecutive year. The study, covering data up to April 30, 2024, suggests that early trends often predict annual outcomes. It examines gun violence trends in the 100 most populous cities and all 50 states.
Key findings include a 13.1 percent decrease in gun violence homicides and a 12.5 percent reduction in gun violence victimizations compared to the same period in 2023. Mass shootings have dropped by 29.3 percent over the same timeframe. Additionally, 70 of the 100 largest U.S. cities have seen either stable or reduced gun violence victimizations in early 2024 compared to early 2023.
Notably, Baltimore leads among major cities with fewer gun violence victimizations in early 2024 than during the same period in 2019.
The report attributes this decline to various factors, including public safety investments such as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022. These measures are believed to have contributed to returning gun violence levels to pre-pandemic norms and potentially improving upon them.
“For all American families, and especially those in neighborhoods with the highest concentrations of gun violence, the nation’s solutions and commitments to safety cannot stop at ‘good enough’,” said Chandler Hall, senior policy analyst for Gun Violence Prevention at CAP and author of the analysis. “To continue to drive gun violence down and keep it that way, America must approach public safety and the gun violence epidemic with an even greater level of urgency going forward than it has in the past four years.”
The full analysis can be accessed under "Early 2024 Data Show Promising Signs of Another Historic Decline in Gun Violence" by Chandler Hall.
For further information or expert commentary, contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected].
