Gun Death Statistics by Caliber: A Review of Calibers and Crime in 2024

In the late 1960s, anti-gun coalitions pushed to ban the Saturday Night Special, claiming it was responsible for high homicide rates. However, this specific firearm is rarely seen in crime reports today, despite never being banned. People naturally gravitate towards the most effective tools available to them.

The anti-gun lobby often oversimplifies the issue by blaming guns in general, and specific models in particular, for crime. There is also considerable debate over the lethality of different calibers. This article explores gun deaths by caliber and the often overlooked variables involved.

Ammo.com aims to provide accurate and reliable information from reputable sources, which can be found here.

Why Gun Calibers Matter

When choosing your EDC (Everyday Carry) firearm or hunting rifle, factors like energy, velocity, and diameter matter. However, in the context of crime, the calibers used are often those that criminals can easily access.

People intent on killing will find a tool to do so. For example, while many Americans consider the .22LR underpowered, it has killed more people in Australia and New Zealand than any other caliber. (Source 1)

The anti-gun lobby's focus on certain calibers to reduce gun deaths may be misguided. The specific tool used is less significant to determined individuals seeking to cause harm.

What Calibers are Most Used in Murders

It is widely believed that the 9mm is the most common caliber used in murders. However, the U.S. does not consistently keep records of firearm calibers used in homicides. A 2018 study in Boston found that 9mm was involved in 50 of 184 fatal shootings and 65 non-fatal shootings.

In this study, medium calibers (.38, .380, and 9mm) were used in more shootings (113 non-fatal and 100 fatal) than larger calibers (.357, .40, .44 Mag, .45 ACP, 10mm, and 7.62x39mm).

Lethality of the Caliber

The lethality of different calibers is a debated topic. Studies show that handguns are used in more homicides than any other firearm type. Larger handgun calibers, though used less frequently, tend to be more lethal.

For example, the .357 caliber had an 88% higher fatality rate compared to non-fatal shootings, and the .45 ACP had a 67% higher fatality rate. The 10mm caliber resulted in death in both recorded shootings. (Source 3)

[Graphic Source: The Association of Firearm Caliber with Likelihood of Death from Gunshot Injury in Criminal Assaults]

Crime Guns and Calibers

Some theories suggest that certain firearms are used more in crimes because they are easier to obtain. Removing the most common crime guns, however, does not address the underlying criminological issues but imposes unwarranted sanctions on firearms.

For instance, despite Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Sig outmanufacturing Glock in 2020, Glocks comprised 19.6% of all recovered crime guns in 2021. (Source 5)

[Graphic Sources: Firearms Trace Data: 2022, Crime Guns Recovered and Traced Within the United States, & U.S. Firearms Industry Today - 2023]

Prevalence of Handguns Used in Murders

We’ve all heard politicians’s promises to eradicate homicide with a simple “assault weapons ban.” The rhetoric echoes that of the early 1990s, and before Heller (2008), politicians won that battle.

However, rifles are rarely used in homicides, and the 1994 ban didn’t decrease homicides (because they weren’t used in them to begin with). Again, we proceed with a misguided notion that banning one or two items will curb crime.

Nearly half of all homicides involved a handgun, while less than 1% involved a rifle, and more than 10% involved a knife or sharp object.

In 2011, 49% of all homicides involved a handgun. In 2019, 46% of homicides involved a handgun. Although handguns are used in homicides overall, more than half of all homicides are committed with an object other than a handgun.

Essentially, the only common factor between all homicides from 2011 to 2019 was a person intent on killing another; the caliber of the firearm or the brand of the knife did not affect the outcome.

[Graphic Source: 2019 Crime in the United States FBI]

Types of Guns Used in Crimes

We know that handguns are used in more homicides than any other caliber, and we know that 9mm handguns comprise nearly half of all crime guns, per the ATF. However, 9mm handguns aren’t the only handguns used in crimes.

Crime guns, as traced by the ATF, are firearms that are recovered by local law enforcement agencies nationwide. Those agencies then submit trace requests to the ATF to track the original purchaser. From this database, we can track the calibers most used in crimes.

Note: Not all crime guns are guns recovered in violent crimes. Some crime guns recovered involved only unlawful possession of a firearm as the crime listed.

Handguns, particularly 9mm handguns, are used in more crimes than any other type of firearm. According to the ATF, 45% of all guns recovered in crimes in 2022 were 9mm handguns, followed by .40 caliber handguns at 10% and .22 caliber firearms at 7%.

[Graphic Source: Firearms Trace Data: 2022]

Wrapping Up

Different calibers have varying degrees of terminal ballistics, but this does not mean they are used more frequently in crimes. In New Zealand, the deadliest caliber is .22 LR, while in the U.S., it is 9mm. Restricting common crime guns does not deter crime, as criminals will find other means to accomplish their goals.

Sources

1. “Harmless” .22 calibre Rabbit Rifles Kill More People Than Any Other Type of Gun
2. 2019 Crime in the U.S. FBI
3. The Association of Firearm Caliber With Likelihood of Death from Gunshot Injury in Criminal Assaults
4. U.S. Firearms Industry Today - 2023
5. Crime Guns Recovered and Traced Within the United States