What’s the Truth About Racial Disparities & Guns
Conversations regarding murder in the U.S. are often steered toward racial disparities. But what is the truth about black American homicides and gun deaths? Ammo.com was curious, so they wrote a fact-based report.
If you’re in a hurry, here are a few highlights from Ammo.com’s report:
- Firearm-related homicide rates among non-Hispanic black Americans rose from 19.4 per 100,000 in 2018 to 30.4 in 2021, then declined to 16.3 in 2025. Of those, 80.4% (78,578) were homicides, while undetermined intent accounted for 0.9% (860). 1
- Those aged 20 to 24 had the highest gun death rate among non-Hispanic black Americans from 2018 to 2025: 75.1 deaths per 100,000. According to the CDC, black American gun deaths continued trending down, with 9,779 reported in 2025. 1
- Non-Hispanic white Americans accounted for the largest share of total gun deaths (including homicides, suicides, unintentional, and legal intervention/operations of war) at 64.8%, while non-Hispanic black Americans accounted for the largest share of gun-related homicides: 70.5% between 2018 and 2025. The CDC reported a firearm-related homicide rate of 16.3 in 2025, although this figure is subject to change. 1
Life-saving conversations begin with facts. We hope you’ll read and share the full report linked here.
