After dropping dramatically during the 2023 Hollywood strikes, guns returned to network TV in 2024 – but shows without guns won the ratings wars
CHICAGO – A study released by the gun violence prevention group Project Unloaded reveals that gun portrayals on TV this fall returned to close to 2022 levels following the 2023 writers and actors strikes. But in spite of more guns appearing on television, shows without guns won 96% of time slots reviewed – indicating that audiences prefer less violent content.
The report, called Gun Smoke, is an annual research product conceived and created by Project Unloaded’s Youth Council, a group of 19 high school and college students who help lead the organization’s social media campaigns and programs. Youth Council members watched and coded gun depictions and mentions in every show that ran across the four major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) during the last week of September. They documented the type of show, whether a gun was shown, if it was fired, and the context of its use. Data was compared to the same week of content in the past two years, adding up to more than 200 hours of content reviewed.
“As high school seniors, we’ve grown up aware and worried about gun violence – we watch TV for escape,” said Shiven Patel and Esha Ambre, two Project Unloaded Youth Council members who lead this research project. “This report highlights a disconnect between what creators are producing and what audiences actually want. Americans see enough gun violence in real life. Many of us are tired of seeing it in our entertainment, too.”
Key findings from the study include:
- Networks featured guns in 33% more primetime TV slots in 2024 than they did in 2023 – but shows without guns still won 96% of timeslots.
- In 2022, 81% of ratings winners were TV blocks without guns. In 2023, 96% of time slot winners didn’t feature guns – but there were far fewer guns on TV. This year, more guns returned to TV, but again, 96% of time slots were won by shows with no guns – indicating that viewers prefer less violent content.
- If there’s a gun, it’s most likely on CBS. In each of the three years we reviewed, CBS dominated on portrayals of guns and gun violence. In 2024, CBS was responsible for 55% of episodes with guns on TV and 61% of episodes with a gun fired on TV. NBC ran just one show that included a gun in the week we analyzed. Fox and ABC ran four each.
- There are more armed criminals on TV in 2024 than 2022 or 2023. Despite data showing declines in real-life gun homicides and overall crime, the majority of TV shows with guns depicted them in the hands of someone involved in criminal activity. People with criminal intent also fired guns at a greater rate than any other group in 2024. These fictional portrayals of armed criminals help to reinforce Americans’ misconception that bad guys with guns are a major risk and a reason to arm themselves.
Most Americans believe that having a gun makes them safer and protection is the top cited reason people choose to get a gun. Yet communities with more gun violence experience more homicides, suicides, and gun violence. Research indicates that seeing guns on TV can impact people’s real-life views on guns and crime.
“Some of the most creative people in the country work in television production,” said Nina Vinik, founder and president of Project Unloaded. “They should find ways to tell stories without playing into the myths at the root of our nation’s gun violence epidemic. And in doing so, they may even attract more viewers.”
Gun Smoke offers recommendations for television producers, writers, and network executives to tell a different, more accurate story about guns, including:
- Carefully consider whether a gun is actually necessary to tell the story.
- When including guns in storylines, consider ways to reinforce their real-life impact rather than perpetuate the false notion that guns increase safety.
- Avoid depicting guns as a reliable mechanism for safety and self-defense. Even for law enforcement officers, firing a gun is rare in real life and it’s unlikely they hit their target.
- Show characters taking steps to reduce their risk, such as deciding against owning a gun or removing guns from the home because of the increased risk of suicide.
Once shows were coded and the report drafted, Dan Romer, Ph.D, Research Director at University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, reviewed the findings. This is the only research product created by youth leaders in the gun violence prevention movement.
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