BALTIMORE — The Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention released its Preliminary State Plan for a Public Health Approach to Reducing Firearm Violence and a new Firearm Violence Data Dashboard on June 27, 2025. These tools aim to enhance data-driven strategies to curb gun violence across Maryland by providing detailed insights into firearm-related injuries and deaths. The dashboard is accessible at health.maryland.gov/firearm-data.
The Preliminary State Plan outlines the Center’s initial framework for addressing gun violence as a public health issue. It includes Maryland-specific firearm mortality data, a summary of gun violence’s public health implications, and the Center’s goals. These goals involve analyzing the state’s gun violence prevention policies, improving data access and analysis, enhancing inter-agency coordination, investing in evidence-based programs, and advancing prevention education. The plan also emphasizes collaboration with federal, state, local agencies, and communities to develop public health strategies.
The Firearm Violence Data Dashboard, described as the state’s most comprehensive and timely tool of its kind, offers visualizations of firearm injury and death trends from 2015 through provisional data for April 2025. Updated monthly, it includes state and local data, demographic details (age, race, ethnicity, gender), and jurisdictional-level statistics. The dashboard covers homicide and suicide deaths, youth deaths, circumstances preceding these incidents, nonfatal injuries, and emergency department visits, enabling researchers, community members, and leaders to analyze trends.
“Every day, we see how gun violence tragically impacts every community across the State of Maryland,” said Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani. “The data dashboard and preliminary state plan are much-needed, critical tools that will inform our public health and prevention efforts to reduce firearm violence across the state.”
In 2024, Maryland recorded 671 firearm deaths, with approximately 55% classified as homicides and 44% as suicides, according to the dashboard. Additionally, there were 780 emergency department visits for nonfatal firearm injuries. The dashboard’s data will guide the Center in prioritizing programs, refining policies, and enforcing gun laws.
“The Preliminary Plan and dashboard will allow state and community leaders and organizations to adapt quickly to changing violence trends and tailor policy in response,” said Assistant Secretary for Population Health and Strategic Initiatives Dr. Elizabeth Esdall Kromm. “With the addition of these resources, the Center can help provide leaders across the state with tools to intervene early, potentially preventing incidents of firearm violence before they occur.”
The Center, part of the Moore-Miller Administration’s efforts to enhance public safety, collaborates with hospitals, community-based programs, and government agencies. “We are focused on data-driven public health strategies to prevent gun violence, emphasizing collaboration between state and local government agencies, hospitals and community-based intervention programs,” said Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention Executive Director Jen Pauliukonis. “This dashboard is essential for the Center as it allows us to consolidate and improve the coordination of our state’s prevention efforts.”
Established under the Maryland Department of Health, the Center seeks to reduce firearm violence, mitigate harm from incidents, and address firearm misuse. The dashboard’s historical and jurisdictional data allow stakeholders to identify trends, such as spikes in youth homicides or nonfatal injuries in specific counties, and tailor interventions accordingly. For example, community programs can use demographic data to target at-risk groups, while policymakers can assess the effectiveness of existing gun laws.
The Preliminary State Plan’s landscape analysis will evaluate Maryland’s current prevention programs, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. By improving data coordination, the Center aims to streamline efforts across agencies, ensuring resources reach high-risk areas. The focus on evidence-informed programs includes supporting initiatives like violence interruption and hospital-based intervention, which have shown promise in other states.
Maryland’s approach aligns with national public health efforts to treat gun violence as a preventable issue, similar to disease outbreaks or traffic fatalities. The Center’s work builds on prior state initiatives, including strengthened gun laws and community safety grants under the Moore-Miller Administration. The dashboard and plan mark a step toward a coordinated, data-driven response to a complex issue affecting urban and rural communities alike.
