Annual Study – Gun Death in Wisconsin – Released by Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) Educational Fund and Violence Policy Center

Washington, DC — Guns claimed the lives of 762 Wisconsin residents in 2023 according to Gun Death in Wisconsin, a new joint report by the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) Educational Fund, the state’s leading gun violence prevention organization, and the Violence Policy Center (VPC), a national research and advocacy organization working to stop gun death and injury.

The annual study (https://www.vpc.org/studies/WI2025.pdf), released the day before the Emergency Gun Violence Summit being held in Milwaukee, analyzes data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The study offers year-over-year trend analyses by sex, age, race, and ethnicity for firearm suicide and firearm homicide. It also examines gun suicide and homicide death in urban and rural areas as well as detailing firearm criminal trace data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The report also presents personal stories of Wisconsin residents impacted by gun violence who have turned pain into purpose through gun violence prevention advocacy.

Nick Matuszewski, associate executive director of the WAVE Educational Fund, states, “One death from gun violence is too many. But 762 deaths is a disgrace and an urgent call to take the kind of actions that have been proven to save lives. Universal background checks and extreme risk laws can prevent tragedy. Community violence intervention can break cycles of harm and build safer communities. We must demand that our leaders have the courage to act and finally put the safety of Wisconsinites first.”

Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, states, “The goal of this annual study is to serve as one more tool for advocates, organizations, and policymakers working to reduce gun violence in Wisconsin. Comprehensive, reliable data is the foundation for effective public policy. Such information not only helps quantify public health threats, but also aids in the identification and implementation of effective solutions.”

Among the findings of the study:

• Guns claimed the lives of 762 Wisconsin residents in 2023, including 502 firearm suicides and 236 firearm homicides. That year, guns were used in 54.6 percent (502 of 920) of suicides and 83.1 percent (236 of 284) of homicides. For both suicides and homicides, the vast majority of victims were male.
• Black Wisconsin residents are disproportionately impacted by lethal gun violence. While Black residents comprise only 6.3 percent of Wisconsin’s population, 65.7 percent of firearm homicide victims in 2023 were Black. In 2023, the Black firearm homicide victimization rate was 40 times the white firearm homicide victimization rate (40.0 per 100,000 compared to 1.0 per 100,000). Between 2018 and 2022, the firearm suicide rate among Black Wisconsin residents more than tripled — from 3.0 per 100,000 to 9.4 per 100,000, before decreasing to 6.8 per 100,000 in 2023.
• Firearm homicide rates have increased by 54.1 percent among Hispanic Wisconsin residents, from 3.7 per 100,000 in 2021 to 5.7 per 100,000 in 2023.
• For rural Wisconsin, most gun deaths are suicides, not homicides. In 2023, 88.5 percent of all firearms deaths in rural Wisconsin were suicides. In comparison, 58.2 percent of all firearm deaths in urban areas were suicides.
• For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified: 80.7 percent (138 of 171) of Wisconsin homicide victims were killed by someone they knew and 80.9 percent (161 of 199) of homicides were not related to the commission of any other felony.
• In 2023, 8,441 firearms were recovered in Wisconsin and traced. Of these, 7,132 were handguns (84.5 percent). The vast majority of firearms recovered in Wisconsin (84.9 percent) were originally sourced in-state.

The report also profiles Wisconsinites whose lives have been forever changed by gun violence and now work to stop it.

Among them is survivor Jenevia Blanks, who in her profile explains, “Several of my loved ones were taken too soon. I want to turn my hurt and anger into something meaningful to help others in the community heal from gun violence.”

The study also shares the story of Kristina Paris, who has been active in gun violence prevention work for decades, who states, “As someone who has had a gun used against me, I know firsthand that these are not just numbers. These are people who are loved, cared for, deeply mourned. These people mattered, and their deaths could have been prevented.”

The report also cites WAVE’s recommended gun violence prevention policies for the state as well as its recent policy successes and outreach efforts.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.