Georgians are now more likely to be killed by a gun than a car crash — just like the majority of states in the country.

In fact, gun deaths, including suicides, increased in all but five states and the District of Columbia between 2003 and 2013, while traffic fatalities declined in all but four states during that time, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's analysis of government statistics, insurance industry data and records from state vital-records offices.

In 2003, the AJC found, more people died from shootings than car crashes in just two states and the District of Columbia.

By 2013, that was the case in 29 states and D.C.

Georgia's tipping point came as 2010 became 2011, on a cool, drizzly night in Lilburn.

Click here to read the complete special report, including national statistics and the stories of Georgians affected by gun violence

Keep Reading

Amy Stevens, a U.S. Navy veteran who founded Georgia Military Women, was inducted this month into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame. She recently visited the Atlanta History Center's exhibit, “Our War Too: Women in Service." (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Featured

Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com