Gunshots Project update: Gun deaths rose again in 2022, though firearm-related suicides dropped
Vermont Public
Vermont documented a record number of gunshot fatalities in 2022, even though firearms-related suicides declined for the first time in four years. A total of 92 Vermonters died of gunshots, continuing a years-long upward trend: 68 were by suicide, 21 by homicide, and three were accidental or could not be determined.
But despite the grim news, experts across the state expressed hope that a variety of changes over the past year and a half may reduce gun deaths — eventually.
Vermont Public has been analyzing gunshot fatalities for every year since 2011. In that time, the number of fatalities has generally risen, and suicides have consistently represented the bulk of the deaths. While that was still true in 2022, homicides made up a larger portion of the total for the first time since 2019.