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.”
Trump admin conducts another deadly attack on ‘low-profile vessel’ perpetrating ‘narco-trafficking operations’
White House says no to Catholic bishops’ call for Christmas pause in immigration enforcement
FCC announces ban on new Chinese-made drones over national security concerns
20% of NYC mayor-elect Mamdani transition appointees have anti-Zionist ties: ADL
ICE arrests 100+ illegal alien truckers in major sweep after deadly crashes across multiple states
Democrat lawmakers call on Trump to withdraw rule limiting green cards for people on welfare
Epstein File Photos Give ‘Powerful Reminder’ of Bill Clinton’s Scandalous Past
Angel Studios ‘DAVID’ opens to studio’s best box office weekend
Pentagon taps Musk’s xAI to boost sensitive government workflows, support military operations
Multiple fatalities reported as Mexican Navy plane crashes off Texas coast, recovery effort underway
Fact Check: Did Education Secretary Linda McMahon Change the Meaning of Basic Words with ‘New Spelling Guidelines’?
2020 Stolen Election Bombshell: Fulton County Admits 300,000+ Votes Were Illegally Counted in Georgia, Where Trump ‘Lost’ by 11,779
Exclusive Photos: JD Vance joins Navy SEAL training, pushes limits in grueling workout
Heritage Foundation staffers quit and join Mike Pence foundation
ICE officers injured after illegal immigrant strikes agents, rams vehicles during arrest attempt
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.
Trump admin conducts another deadly attack on ‘low-profile vessel’ perpetrating ‘narco-trafficking operations’
White House says no to Catholic bishops’ call for Christmas pause in immigration enforcement
FCC announces ban on new Chinese-made drones over national security concerns
20% of NYC mayor-elect Mamdani transition appointees have anti-Zionist ties: ADL
ICE arrests 100+ illegal alien truckers in major sweep after deadly crashes across multiple states
Democrat lawmakers call on Trump to withdraw rule limiting green cards for people on welfare
Epstein File Photos Give ‘Powerful Reminder’ of Bill Clinton’s Scandalous Past
Angel Studios ‘DAVID’ opens to studio’s best box office weekend
Pentagon taps Musk’s xAI to boost sensitive government workflows, support military operations
Multiple fatalities reported as Mexican Navy plane crashes off Texas coast, recovery effort underway
Fact Check: Did Education Secretary Linda McMahon Change the Meaning of Basic Words with ‘New Spelling Guidelines’?
2020 Stolen Election Bombshell: Fulton County Admits 300,000+ Votes Were Illegally Counted in Georgia, Where Trump ‘Lost’ by 11,779
Exclusive Photos: JD Vance joins Navy SEAL training, pushes limits in grueling workout
Heritage Foundation staffers quit and join Mike Pence foundation
ICE officers injured after illegal immigrant strikes agents, rams vehicles during arrest attempt
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.
