GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019
Nearly 3,000 Californians died by gun violence in 2019, an average of eight people every day. Suicides were 54% of the gun deaths and homicides were 42%.
TRENDS OVER TIME
Over the last 10 years (2010-2019), the overall gun death rate in California decreased nearly 6%. Decreases in both homicide and suicide rates contributed to the overall change over the course of the decade; in that time period, the firearm homicide rate decreased nearly 9% and the firearm suicide rate decreased 5%.
Age-adjusted rate per 100,000
County Variations
Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000
- 4.13 to 11.33
- 11.34 to 18.54
- 18.55 to 25.75
- 25.76 to 33.05
- Suppressed /
Unreliable

Among the counties in California, Trinity County had the highest gun death rate, followed by Modoc County and Lake County.

Conversely, Santa Clara County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by San Mateo County and Orange County.
FIREARM HOMICIDES
Gun Deaths by Intent
Homicide by Method
FIREARM SUICIDES
Gun Deaths by Intent
Suicide by Method
Resources
Gun Violence Restraining Order in California
- In 2014, California became the first state to pass a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) law. Based on Connecticut's risk warrant law, the GVRO allows family members, household members, and law enforcement to work with courts to temporarily remove guns and prevent the purchase of new guns by individuals who pose a significant risk of harm to themselves or others. Learn more about California's GVRO at SpeakforSafety.org
Additional Information
- Prevent Firearm Suicide - California
- Disarm Domestic Violence - California
- Implement ERPO - California
Notes
- All rates listed are age-adjusted in order to allow for accurate comparisons between populations with different age distributions.
- All data is from 2019, the most recent year of data available, unless otherwise indicated.
- Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. WONDER Online Database, 1999-2019. Available: http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html.
Last updated March 2021