BULLET POINTS: Tracing America’s History of Gun Violence

Nadine Fandalian

From the early days of America, when firearms were a tool for survival and civic duty, to the modern era of mass shootings and heated political debate, the gun has evolved alongside the country, shaping its culture and dividing its people. The question remains: How did this tool, once a symbol of freedom, become a source of such profound loss and conflict?

Shots fired by the numbers

Each year, an average of over 45,000 people in the U.S. lose their lives to firearms— the majority from suicide, but thousands more from violent crimes such as homicide and mass shootings.

In 2023, firearms claimed 46,728 lives in the U.S.— roughly one life lost every 11 minutes.

By the end of 2024, the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) reported 41,030 total deaths related to gun violence. Out of this number, 16,846 were classified under homicide, murder, unintentional shootings, or defensive gun use. This, in turn, summarizes that firearms are the leading cause of homicides in the United States, affecting both crime rate statistics and public fear.

According to a Center survey conducted in June 2023, approximately four out of every 10 adults in the U.S. are said to have a gun in their household. The Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, a right that has shaped the country’s culture and continues to drive debates on gun ownership.

But how exactly did guns manage to divide the morals of the entire American nation?

The answer lies in its history.

The makings of gun culture

In early America, guns were originally designed for hunting, and protection.

In 1791, the United States created the Bill of Rights, which included the Second Amendment. This declared that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” which at that time was originally tied to militias that protected communities of a free State.

Gun ownership flourished, the need rooted in necessity, civic duty, and here began the celebration of firearms as a symbol of freedom and self-reliance.

But what was meant to be used for protection and survival too goes awry, as people found their way to use guns for crimes, violence, and murder.

The country’s first major federal gun law was passed in 1934. The National Firearms Act was introduced under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was called the “New Deal for Crime,” which was meant to target the violent gang-related crimes of that era, such as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Decades later, after the high-profile assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., Congress eventually passed the Gun Control Act of 1968. This law strengthened regulations on firearms, expanded definitions of dangerous weapons, and reshaped federal gun policy.

John F. Kennedy was killed in 1963 during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, where his sudden death shook the world.
Martin Luther King Jr. Was a Civil Rights leader who was silenced by a shot from a rifle in 1967.

Despite regulations and historical context, gun violence continued to take lives across the nations.

Notable victims of firearms

The story of America cannot be told without the lives lost to gun violence.

Many cases of shooting occurred in different timelines. With each case rocking the country for a massive debate whether the fault is at the ambiguous right, or unrighteous will.

• Abraham Lincoln (1865): Serving as the 16th president at the time, he was assassinated while leading his nation through the civil war.
• Columbine High School massacre (1999): Often seen as the beginning of today’s school shooting crisis, when two students killed 13 people and wounded more than 20 others.
• Sandy Hook Elementary (2012): A gunman murdered 20 young children and 6 educators, a tragedy that stunned the nation and revived urgent calls for reform.
• Parkland, Florida (2018): Seventeen students and staff were killed, and the survivors turned their grief into a nationwide movement pushing for stricter gun laws.
• Brian Thompson (2024): UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was shot by Luigi Mangione, a young man whose motive appears tied to political grievances and criticism of the healthcare industry.
• Charlie Kirk (2025): The conservative influencer was fatally shot at a Utah university event. The suspect, Tyler Robinson, left shell casings with political and online trolling inscriptions, underscoring how ideology and internet culture can fuel deadly violence.

From assassinations of presidents to school shootings and politically motivated attacks, the intention behind each act signifies the dark truth of ways that guns are misused.

When combined with motive, ideology, and grievance, firearms can turn personal rage into deadly action.

The never ending battle

Over the years, many activists have called for stronger restrictions and reshaping the federal firearms policy. Each tragedy sparks public outrage, with communities demanding for change, and lawmakers facing pressure to act.

Yet still, America remains ununited. Gun rights advocates insist that firearms are essential for self-defense and freedom, calling for the protection of the Second Amendment.

At the same time as gun control advocates call for strengthening restrictions on weapons of potential assault.

Beyond laws, the never ending debate about gun ownership persists over the course of many lives lost. The US continues to face one of the world’s highest rates of gun-related deaths.

Since the pandemic in 2020, guns remain the leading cause for the deaths of American children in the US, surpassing motor-vehicle accidents.

While the Philippines also struggle with violence, crimes are not as strongly tied to firearms.

What drives gun violence? Is it the weapon itself, the politics that shape it, or the choices of the people who use it?

Gun violence is not just about the bullets, it’s about culture, laws, and choices. Death is permanent, and has never been the solution to silence the screaming need to protect the value of human life.