US Midterms 2026: US witnesses 122 gun deaths every day, so why aren't shootings dominating the US election debate?

The shooting at a candlelight vigil in Elizabeth, New Jersey, has renewed a familiar question in the United States: why does gun violence so often trigger national outrage without becoming a defining issue in election campaigns?

One person was killed and four others injured when gunfire erupted at the vigil on October 26, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. No arrests have been announced yet. The shooting comes just days before the November 3 midterm elections, where control of Congress is at stake. Yet gun violence competes with and loses to economy, healthcare, inflation and other issues for space in campaign messaging.

How many Americans die from gun violence every day?

The latest complete annual figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 44,447 people died from firearm injuries in 2024; this tallies to an average of about 122 deaths every day.

According to Pew Research, of those deaths, 27,593 were firearm suicides, and 15,364 were firearm homicides. That works out to roughly 76 suicide deaths and 42 homicide deaths involving guns each day. The remaining deaths included unintentional shootings and fatal incidents involving law enforcement.

Mass shootings are only one part of that wider toll. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.

US midterms: Gun violence on the campaign agenda, but not always at the centre

While gun violence hasn't completely disappeared from the 2026 midterm campaign agendas, the mentions are few and far in between.

Notably, ahead of the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, the Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund and the House Majority PAC launched a $10 million paid media campaign aimed at electing former Moms Demand Action volunteers in eight pivotal US House battleground districts.

The National Rifle Association has also backed Republican candidates and attacked Democratic candidates over their positions on gun restrictions.

But the caveat is that gun policy is competing with issues that campaigns believe will resonate with a broader section of the electorate. A Washington Post analysis of more than 8,000 advertisements in competitive congressional and gubernatorial races found that nearly three in five mentioned the economy. Immigration was also a major Republican advertising issue, while Democrats devoted relatively little advertising to immigration. Another election issue that has made it into 500 election ad campaigns is paedophilia and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. However, the analysis did not establish how frequently candidates discussed mass shootings specifically.

Why the numbers do not automatically translate into votes

Even as gun deaths continue to haunt the nation, with firearms being the leading cause of death for American teens and teens, and 59 per cent of Americans or their dear ones having experienced gun violence in their lifetime, the truth of the ongoing campaign is that it does not guarantee that gun policy will dominate an election.