Washington, D.C. –  A new report from the Center for American Progress finds that in Texas, the percentage of gun violence homicides plummeted by 15% in the first eight months of 2024 compared to 2023. The report shows that in the 300 most populated U.S. cities, year-to-date (YTD) gun violence homicides are down 14.8% compared to 2023. 

Other key findings from this new analysis include: 

• Texas is experiencing the 15th largest decline in YTD population-adjusted gun homicides of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2024.
• Of the 50 most populous U.S. cities, El Paso, TX saw the third largest decline in gun victimizations (-43.1%), and Fort Worth, TX saw the 10th largest decline (-30.4%).
• Other Texas cities with significant declines include Dallas (-22.8%), Houston (-22.1%), and San Antonio (-21.5%).
• Across the U.S., 2024 saw the smallest “summer surge” in gun violence victimization rates since 2018.
• Between May 2024 and August 2024, gun violence victimization rates rose by 25% nationally compared to January 2024 through April 2024. In the previous six years, gun violence victimization rates rose 41% on average between May and August compared to January through April.
• Despite the encouraging evidence that violent crime and gun violence were going down at historic rates, historically, gun homicides peak in the warmer months, leading crime data experts to closely track gun violence through the 2024 summer to determine if it would disrupt the overall positive trend. While the rate of gun violence victimizations and homicides did go up during the warmer months in 2024, overall, victimization rates in major U.S. cities are still down compared with 2023.

These findings add to the chorus of studies showing most American communities are becoming safer in the wake of the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and also because of greater federal, state, and local investments being made in violence prevention strategies and new gun laws and accountability measures implemented under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

“For years, advocates and survivors in Texas have pushed for life-saving measures to prevent gun deaths and injuries,” said Nicole Golden, Executive Director of Texas Gun Sense. “This historic drop in gun victimizations is credited to their hard work making sure leaders at every level of government know that preventing gun violence is critically important to Texans. Now we call on the Texas Legislature to move the needle even further by adopting policies like raising the age to 21 to purchase semi-automatic rifles and requiring secure gun storage to reduce gun violence in our schools, homes, and communities.”

“No matter how you look at it, all evidence–from all sources–is pointing to 2024 matching the historic progress in 2023 to make American communities safer,” said Chandler Hall, associate director for Gun Violence Prevention at CAP. “Not only are crime trends going down overall, but this analysis also provides hope that even the spikes in violent crime and gun violence are becoming less severe.”

Read the report: “2024 Sees Smallest Summer Surge in Gun Violence Rates in 6 Years” by Chandler Hall

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Texas Gun Sense advocates to prevent gun violence and other gun tragedies in Texas through education, partnerships and policy change.