What age group is most responsible for gun violence in the USA?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
Recent reporting shows different age groups lead different forms of U.S. gun deaths: young people (roughly ages 1–19 or 15–34 depending on the measure) account for a large share of firearm homicides and children’s deaths, while the oldest adults (70+) have the highest rates of gun suicide (for example, 63,836 gun suicides among Americans 70+ from 2009–2023, per The Trace) [1] [2]. Data sources use different definitions and intents (homicide vs. suicide vs. all firearm deaths), so “most responsible” depends on which outcome you mean [3].
1. Context: “Gun violence” is not a single statistic
National coverage and databases distinguish homicide, suicide, unintentional shootings and mass shootings; which age group appears most responsible shifts with that distinction. CDC- and media-driven syntheses note falling overall gun deaths in some recent years but record-high burdens for some youth cohorts; The Trace highlights suicides concentrated in older adults while pediatric and youth-focused groups emphasize firearms as the leading cause of death for children and adolescents [1] [2] [3].
2. Young people and homicides — the “15–34” story
Multiple outlets and compilations cite young adults as disproportionately represented among homicide victims and nonfatal assault victims. Some summaries state ages roughly 15–34 or similar youth bands are heavily affected by firearm homicides and represent a majority share of homicide victims in certain analyses [4] [5]. Advocacy and public health organizations also stress that firearm injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens (ages 1–17 or 0–19 in different reports) and have risen since 2013 [2] [6].
3. Children and adolescents: leading cause of death and exposure concerns
Public-health reporting and the White House analysis indicate firearms became the leading cause of death for children and adolescents (variously defined as 1–17 or 0–19) in recent years and that exposure and nonfatal injury are far larger than deaths alone — with emergency-department treatments outnumbering deaths several times over [2] [7] [6]. KFF and other analyses document increased exposure of school-age children to shootings and rising school shooting incidence in recent periods [8] [7].
4. Older adults and suicide — the “70+” concentration
The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub found Americans 70 and over had the highest rates of gun suicide of any age group, recording 63,836 gun suicides between 2009 and 2023 — highlighting that suicide drives a large share of firearm fatalities among older adults rather than homicide [1]. This shows the fatal-intent breakdown matters: older adults dominate suicide statistics even as younger ages dominate homicide totals.
5. Mass shootings and different age dynamics
Mass-shooting tallies — tracked by Gun Violence Archive and media projects — are a separate slice of the problem. These incidents have a distinct profile and often draw public attention to school-age and young-adult perpetrators when they occur, but mass shootings are only a subset of total gun deaths and incidents [9] [10]. Coverage notes a recent drop in mass killings in 2025 even as overall numbers remain historically high [11] [12].
6. Why measures disagree — definitions, sources, and intent
Analysts use CDC death certificates, Gun Violence Archive incident logs, FBI submissions and research databases with varying inclusion rules. Pew’s review highlights differences between CDC and police-based counts; Everytown and other trackers produce age-adjusted maps by state; these methodological choices change which age group appears most affected [3] [13]. Thus, narratives that say a single age group is “most responsible” usually reflect a particular metric (homicide, suicide, child deaths, or mass shootings) rather than a universal truth [3].
7. Competing policy frames and implicit agendas
Public-health groups and child-advocacy organizations emphasize youth mortality and exposure to push for prevention funding and safety counseling in pediatrics [2] [6]. Criminal-justice and community-violence discussions often foreground young adults in homicide data to argue for local enforcement and intervention strategies [4] [5]. Reporting outlets that track suicides among older adults shape a different policy focus: mental health and lethal-means reduction for seniors [1]. Each frame is evidence-based but advances different priorities.
8. Bottom line for the original question
There is no single age group that “is most responsible” for all forms of gun violence. Youth (children through young adults) dominate firearm homicide and are suffering record mortality in some youth-age bands, while people 70+ have the highest gun-suicide rates. Which group matters most depends on whether you mean homicides, suicides, child deaths, mass shootings, or total firearm deaths — and different data sources and definitions lead to different answers [2] [1] [3].
Limitations: available sources differ in age bands and intent categories and sometimes use varying year ranges; this summary uses the cited reporting and databases but does not attempt new calculations beyond those sources [1] [2] [3].