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Study Finds Millions in U.S. Have Thought About Shooting Someone
Research proposes options to prevent gun violence, including extreme risk protection orders and waiting periods for firearm purchases.
Mar. 18, 2026 at 2:08am
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A new University of Michigan study finds that over 7% of adults in the United States, or 19.4 million people, say they have thought about shooting someone else at some point in their lives. The study also found that 3%, or about 8.7 million adults, have had these thoughts in the last year. The findings highlight opportunities for intervention, such as extreme risk protection orders and waiting periods for firearm purchases, to prevent these thoughts from turning into deadly actions.
Why it matters
The study illustrates the scope of the danger of firearm violence in the U.S. and the need to identify individuals who may be at high risk of acting on thoughts of shooting someone. While most people don't act on these thoughts, the large number of people having them results in tens of thousands of fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries each year, not including self-harm.
The details
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, was based on a nationally representative survey of over 7,000 adults. It found that firearm owners were no more likely to have had thoughts of shooting someone than non-owners. However, 8% of those with such thoughts said they had brought a firearm to a specific place to potentially carry out a shooting. Among non-firearm owners, 21% of those with thoughts of shooting someone said they had thought of getting a firearm to do so.
- The survey was conducted in 2025.
The players
Brian Hicks
A psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School who led the study.
Mark Ilgen
A co-author of the study and a member of the University of Michigan Addiction Center, Eisenberg Family Depression Center, Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, and Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
University of Michigan
The institution that conducted the study.
What they’re saying
“While most people who these thoughts don't act on them, the number is so high that the small proportion who do act turns into tens of thousands of fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries each year.”
— Brian Hicks, Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry
What’s next
The researchers plan to continue studying the data from the survey to examine other factors that might be related to thoughts of shooting others, such as mental health and substance use problems, as well as other firearm behaviors like storage practices, gun carrying, and risky behaviors like firing a gun after using alcohol or drugs.
The takeaway
This study highlights the need for policies and interventions that can help prevent thoughts of shooting someone from turning into deadly actions, such as extreme risk protection orders and waiting periods for firearm purchases. Identifying and supporting individuals who are having these thoughts could be a crucial step in reducing gun violence in the United States.
