The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its Uniform Crime Report for 2018 on Monday, and the numbers indicate that more people were killed by knives than rifles.
The annual report touts an overall drop in violent crime for the second consecutive year, according to the Bureau’s news release on the numbers. However, the numbers specifically on homicides in the United States offer some insight into America’s ongoing gun control debate.
Due to multiple shooting massacres that took place in August, gun control proponents have once again turned their animus toward semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15. Perhaps the most salient example of this is 2020 Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke’s pledge, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”
Abdul el Sayed won the progressive fight. Now he must reunite Democrats to keep Michigan blue
EXCLUSIVE: Illegal immigrant’s hit-and-run on ‘kind’ elderly woman triggers ICE action: ‘Could hear screaming’
Rand Paul predicts Fauci contempt vote will pass, vows swift DOJ referral
Florida man allegedly attacked sister with machete while she was sleeping next to toddler daughter
Trump blasts Democratic socialist candidate as ‘full of s—‘ and Dems are skipping socialism ‘for communism’
Florida man accused of cutting off diver’s air supply in fight over coveted lobster diving spot
Bodycam video shows Canadian woman allegedly giving false name before deputies discovered 12 fake IDs
Federal judge acknowledges Supreme Court ruling clearing path for Trump to end Haiti TPS
Fauci’s HHS iPhone turned over to Senate investigators as contempt vote looms
Trans Star Jailed, Charged with Multiple Felonies Related to ‘Alleged Sexual Assault Involving a Juvenile’
Masked man caught on camera smashing Virgin Mary statue with a hammer outside NYC church
El-Sayed’s threat against GOP rival backfires as conservatives bring receipts: ‘Is Dubai in Florida’
Taxpayer-funded housing for illegal immigrants in GOP’s crosshairs: ‘It’s got to stop’
African Nation Names One of the Continent’s Largest Roads ‘Donald J. Trump Highway’
In Nevada speech, Trump chases after toddler on stage before joking he doesn’t want him to ‘be Biden and fall’
However, as has been the case in previous years, the numbers show that rifles in general — including semi-automatics as well as others — only account for a fraction of a percent of the total homicide rate in the United States.
Here’s what the FBI’s 2018 homicide numbers show us:
- Overall, the number of homicides dropped from 15,195 in 2017 to 14,123 in 2018. The overall number of people murdered with guns dropped as well.
- 10,265 were committed with firearms, out of which handguns accounted for 6,603.
- Rifles were used in 297 homicides, shotguns in 235, and “other guns” in 167.
- 2,963 homicides were listed as “firearms, type not stated.”
What does this show us? According to the available information, rifles accounted for just 2.1 percent of total homicides last year — and 2.9 percent of gun homicides.
Abdul el Sayed won the progressive fight. Now he must reunite Democrats to keep Michigan blue
EXCLUSIVE: Illegal immigrant’s hit-and-run on ‘kind’ elderly woman triggers ICE action: ‘Could hear screaming’
Rand Paul predicts Fauci contempt vote will pass, vows swift DOJ referral
Florida man allegedly attacked sister with machete while she was sleeping next to toddler daughter
Trump blasts Democratic socialist candidate as ‘full of s—‘ and Dems are skipping socialism ‘for communism’
Florida man accused of cutting off diver’s air supply in fight over coveted lobster diving spot
Bodycam video shows Canadian woman allegedly giving false name before deputies discovered 12 fake IDs
Federal judge acknowledges Supreme Court ruling clearing path for Trump to end Haiti TPS
Fauci’s HHS iPhone turned over to Senate investigators as contempt vote looms
Trans Star Jailed, Charged with Multiple Felonies Related to ‘Alleged Sexual Assault Involving a Juvenile’
Masked man caught on camera smashing Virgin Mary statue with a hammer outside NYC church
El-Sayed’s threat against GOP rival backfires as conservatives bring receipts: ‘Is Dubai in Florida’
Taxpayer-funded housing for illegal immigrants in GOP’s crosshairs: ‘It’s got to stop’
African Nation Names One of the Continent’s Largest Roads ‘Donald J. Trump Highway’
In Nevada speech, Trump chases after toddler on stage before joking he doesn’t want him to ‘be Biden and fall’
Once again, deaths from knives and “personal weapons” like hands, fists, and feet were higher than the number of homicides committed with rifles. More than five times as many murders were committed with knives (1,515) as with rifles, and more than twice as many people were killed with “personal weapons” (672). Other years included in the FBI report’s table — which spans 2014-2018 — show similar disparities between the same weapon types.
Again, these numbers are just for rifles as a whole. There’s no further breakdown for what kind of action or cosmetic features the rifles had.
But despite the facts, the question of what to do about the AR-15 and other widely used semi-automatic rifles — sometimes referred to as “assault weapons” — will likely remain as one of the main focus points in America’s ongoing debate about guns and the Second Amendment.
Story cited here.
