Published July 8, 2026 at 3:06 PM EDT

As homicides continue to drop to record lows in Baltimore, the nation as a whole is also seeing a decrease in gun violence.

That’s according to a new report from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). However, other types of gun deaths are on the rise.

Firearm homicides lowered by about 16% throughout the nation from 2023 to 2024, totaling more than 15,000.

The number coincides with trends in Baltimore, where the city has seen the fewest homicides on record in the first six months of this year.

The city has seen 50 homicides to date.

The JHU report found that Maryland ranks relatively low in firearm deaths compared to other states, ranking 39th in firearm deaths per 100,000 people.

Despite the drop in violence, the nation notched the fifth ever highest total gun deaths with nearly 44,500.

The reason is because gun suicides are reaching record levels.

There were about 27,600 gun-related suicides in the nation in 2024, the report states.

Black women are experiencing the highest increase in gun suicides over the past ten years with a 169% in the rate.

Overall gun suicide rates among the Latino population and Asian women also dramatically increased over the last decade.

Authors of the study are calling for policy changes to reduce gun violence.

“We can save lives and address this crisis through a comprehensive public health approach pushing for equitable, evidence-based policies and programs that address multiple forms of gun injury and death,” says Cassandra Crifasi, co-director of the JHU Center for Gun Violence Solutions and senior author of the report.

Some Maryland jurisdictions have implemented their own gun policies. In 2024, the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Anne Arundel County could continue handing out suicide prevention pamphlets with the sale of firearms and ammunition.