U.S. Gun violence epidemic deepens: Over 10,000 dead since start of 2025

Deadly shootings continue across America, with statistics showing the situation worsening. The recent holiday weekend saw multiple shootings, including in New York and Chicago.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, since the beginning of 2025, 10,008 people have been killed and 18,273 wounded by gun violence in the U.S. The data also records 291 mass shootings and 10 mass killings so far this year.

Schools in particular are increasingly affected by gun violence, raising deep concerns.

Shooting in New York

According to CBS, several people were shot during the Labor Day parade in the Bronx. Police confirmed the shooter remains at large, while reports indicate multiple violent incidents during the event, including a mass shooting and stabbings.

The NYPD stated that at least five people were shot in separate incidents over a two-hour span, with two others injured. Police later confirmed one fatality, while three of the wounded remain in critical condition. Several suspects have been detained, though no motive has been released yet.

As Newsweek reported, security was already heightened after last year’s deadly shooting at the same parade. NYPD officials said this was their largest security deployment of the year.

These violent disruptions come as President Donald Trump has made his so-called “war on crime”—especially in major cities—a cornerstone of his second-term agenda. His campaign began last month with the declaration of a “crime emergency” in Washington, D.C., which temporarily transferred control of the city’s police to federal authorities. This approach has since expanded into Democrat-led cities and states, putting the federal government at odds with local officials who denounce the move as unnecessary and authoritarian.

Bloody weekend in Chicago: 7 dead, 48 injured

According to ABC News, at least 54 people were shot during the holiday weekend in Chicago, Illinois. Police reports documented 32 separate shootings between 10:32 p.m. Friday and noon Monday.

Authorities confirmed seven fatalities, with victims ranging in age from 14 to 50. Among the incidents was a drive-by shooting that left seven people injured.

Trump responded on social media, warning Illinois’ governor: “Better fix this fast—or we’re coming in!”

44 shootings in U.S. schools this year

Alongside mass shootings in public spaces, gun violence in American schools has also surged in recent years, including suicides, targeted attacks, and accidental shootings.

According to CNN, the number of deadly school shootings has been rising steadily since 2012, except for 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns. So far in 2025, 44 school shootings have been reported.

The most recent case occurred in Minnesota, where a gunman opened fire in a school, killing two children and injuring several others.

Data from the K-12 School Shooting Database shows that since 2000, thousands of gun-related incidents—including suicides and attempted suicides—have occurred on school grounds. Many cases also involve accidental discharges, such as the firearm that went off inside a child’s backpack in Maryland earlier this year.

Over the past 25 years, more than 1,200 children have been victims of school-related gun incidents, with at least 265 killed. Research from 1990 to 2016 shows the average age of teenage school shooters is 16 years old, and 75% of them suffered from mental health issues.