Gun Violence Archive listed 3,301 third-quarter shooting deaths, the lowest three-month count in over a decade of its records. October 13 figures miss some cases, can change later, and exclude suicides that form two thirds of shooting deaths; a Council on Criminal Justice poll of four dozen scholars found no sole driver of recent drops, citing pandemic end, community programs, and focused deterrence by police and social services. Firearm sales rose during 2026 after five years of no increase, up about two percent to an estimated 10.6 million through three quarters.