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.”
South Carolina inmate who believes he is immortal cannot be executed due to mental illness, judge rules
Trump marks Cinco de Mayo with ‘NICE’ post, echoing past viral taco bowl moment
Family of Murdered College Student Furious as Killer Learns His Sentence: ‘It’s Not Enough’
Family makes terrifying discovery in basement following growing suspicions
Comer demands records after DC police leaders sidelined amid alleged crime data manipulation
Government Sues New York Times for Alleged Discrimination Against White Man
Obama’s Recent Political Moves Have Caused ‘Genuine Tension’ with Michelle
Trump’s grip on GOP tested in Indiana as primary battles target defiant Republicans
Trump-backed Vivek Ramaswamy wins Ohio GOP gubernatorial primary, will face Democrat Amy Acton
Sherrod Brown secures Ohio Dem nomination, faces GOP’s Husted in key battle for Senate majority
Trump Makes Bombshell Comment About Arming Iranian Protesters
Trump posts mockup of ICE rebranded to ‘NICE’ after supporter’s suggestion
Cuba, China, and the pope: Key takeaways from Marco Rubio’s raucous White House press conference
ICE deports illegal immigrant convicted of attempting to kill newborn after blue state prison release
Minnesota lawmakers fail at trying to get Omar to testify about alleged fraud, GOP leader talks next steps
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.
South Carolina inmate who believes he is immortal cannot be executed due to mental illness, judge rules
Trump marks Cinco de Mayo with ‘NICE’ post, echoing past viral taco bowl moment
Family of Murdered College Student Furious as Killer Learns His Sentence: ‘It’s Not Enough’
Family makes terrifying discovery in basement following growing suspicions
Comer demands records after DC police leaders sidelined amid alleged crime data manipulation
Government Sues New York Times for Alleged Discrimination Against White Man
Obama’s Recent Political Moves Have Caused ‘Genuine Tension’ with Michelle
Trump’s grip on GOP tested in Indiana as primary battles target defiant Republicans
Trump-backed Vivek Ramaswamy wins Ohio GOP gubernatorial primary, will face Democrat Amy Acton
Sherrod Brown secures Ohio Dem nomination, faces GOP’s Husted in key battle for Senate majority
Trump Makes Bombshell Comment About Arming Iranian Protesters
Trump posts mockup of ICE rebranded to ‘NICE’ after supporter’s suggestion
Cuba, China, and the pope: Key takeaways from Marco Rubio’s raucous White House press conference
ICE deports illegal immigrant convicted of attempting to kill newborn after blue state prison release
Minnesota lawmakers fail at trying to get Omar to testify about alleged fraud, GOP leader talks next steps
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.
