Gun Violence in Utah: How the Beehive State compares to the rest of the West

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A national database has been tracking gun violence since 2014. Here’s where Utah falls among other states in the western U.S.

Established in 2013, the Gun Violence Archive is an independent online database that tracks gun violence incidents in the United States. The archive is run by a non-profit with no ties to any advocacy organization. Data from the archive has been collected from law enforcement, media, and government agencies dating back to 2014.

As of Friday, Sept. 13, 2025, the archive lists a total of over 10,500 gun-related deaths in the United States this year. 2024 marked the highest year for gun deaths since data collection began a decade earlier.

Almost 190 shootings have occurred in the country in the last 72 hours alone according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Utah compared to the U.S.

Data shows Utah has been home to well over 1,300 shootings since 2014. Among those shootings, almost 750 people were killed and over 950 injured.

In 2024 alone, Utah saw almost 120 shootings, which marks the state’s lowest shooting rate since the pandemic. Among the shootings, 78 people died from gun violence in 2024.

Neighboring Colorado saw almost 500 shootings in 2024 with almost 250 people dying. Nevada is listed as having over 230 shootings and over 180 deaths from gun violence.

Mass shootings

The archive defines “mass shootings” as a shooting in which four or more people were killed or injured, excluding the shooter.

According to archive data, Utah has documented 10 mass shootings in the Beehive State since 2014. Seven of the shootings were fatal.

In Nevada, almost 40 mass shootings have occurred since data collection began, half of which being deadly. Colorado is listed with approximately 70 mass shootings since 2014.

School shootings

Utah is documented with having at least 15 gun-related incidents in schools since 2023. One of which took the life of conservative influencer, Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.

Four others have been injured during gun-related incidents at Utah schools including three who were allegedly shot during an altercation at West High School on May 19, 2024. Court documents show one victim was shot in the foot, another was grazed in the neck, and the third was grazed in the back.

Roy High School reportedly had four separate incidents during April of 2024 which led to seven arrests and no injuries.

Child-involved shootings

There have been almost 30 shootings involving children between the ages of 0 and 11, including 14 fatal incidents and 15 non-fatal incidents, archive data shows.

According to the archive, almost 30 Utah children have died during fatal incidents since 2014.

Children killed by gun-related incidents have been exclusively from domestic violence situations or accidental shootings.

Data shows Wyoming is the only state in the U.S. without a fatal child-involved shooting in the last decade.

Accidental shootings

Almost 40 fatal shootings in Utah were accidental shootings. The Gun Violence Archive defines such shootings as shootings that were “unintentional.” Data shows over 80 more in the past 10 years that were non-fatal.

Of Utah’s approximately 30 child deaths from gun-related incidents, six have come from accidental shootings. A majority of the accidental shootings have come from incidents where the victim was playing with a firearm.

Data on other states can be viewed at thetrace.org.

Thetrace.org obtains data from The Gun Violence Archive.