The number of law enforcement officers killed in gun-related deaths rose by 56 percent in 2014, according to an annual report released on Tuesday by the nonprofit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Nationwide in 2014, 50 officers were killed by guns, compared to 32 in 2013, according to the group. About one-third, or 15, of those officers were shot and killed in ambush, "more than any other circumstance of fatal shootings in 2014," the group's website said, reported Reuters.
The most deadly states were California, at 14, Texas, at 11, New York, at nine, Florida, with six, and Georgia, with five.
The report found that a total of 126 federal, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement officers were killed on the job in 2014 - a 24 percent increase from the 102 officers killed in the line of duty in 2013.
Traffic-related fatalities were the second leading cause of death among officers, with 49 in 2014.
Among those killed in ambush were the two New York City policemen, officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, who were executed on Dec. 20 while sitting in their patrol car.
Despite the increase, 2014's gun death count remains below average for the past decade, and the total number of fatalities in 2014 is one of the lowest in 50-plus years, according to the report.
"With the increasing number of ambush-style attacks against our officers, I am deeply concerned that a growing anti-government sentiment in America is influencing weak-minded individuals to launch violent assaults against the men and women working to enforce our laws and keep our nation safe," said Craig Floyd, chairman and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
"Enough is enough," he continued in his statement. "We need to tone down the rhetoric and rally in support of law enforcement and against lawlessness."
