Firearm injuries are a public health problem that can affect anyone, regardless of their sex, age, race, ethnicity, or place of residence. These can include all types of firearm injuries, including self-harm, assault, unintentional (did not happen on purpose), legal intervention or war, or undetermined. Health effects of firearm injuries include physical disability, mental health consequences, and death.
The Virginia Department of Health monitors firearm injuries using three data sources: emergency department (ED) visits, inpatient hospitalizations, and deaths. Click below to access interactive dashboards of firearm injury ED visits and firearm-related deaths or the Firearm Injuries in Virginia, 2016-2021 data brief.
If you or a loved one is in crisis, call 988 for help and support.

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Virginia Firearm Injury Fast Facts
- There were 2,488 firearm injury emergency department (ED) visits in 2023, a 10% decrease from 2022.
- On average, three Virginians died by firearm every day between 2019 and 2023.
- Most deaths by firearm from 2019 to 2023 were suicide (59%), followed by homicide (39%).
- In 2023, Virginians were hospitalized for nonfatal firearm injuries for a total of 7,251 days, with over $144 million dollars in hospitalization costs.
- Males and people aged 15-24 years experienced the highest burden of firearm injury across ED visits, nonfatal hospitalizations, and deaths between 2019 and 2023.
- Almost half (49%) of adult Virginians who have firearms at home reported they kept at least one of their firearms unlocked and loaded (Virginia Adult Health Survey, 2023).
- Approximately 15% of Virginia high school youth reported they could access and use a loaded firearm without parental permission in less than 10 minutes (Virginia Youth Survey, 2023).
To learn more about VDH firearm injury prevention efforts, please visit the VDH Firearm Injury Prevention website.
For information about U.S. firearm deaths, see CDC Vital Signs website.
Submit your population health data request using this form.