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.”
Thune plans to run for Republican minority leader after Dem’s midterm takeover
Abdul El-Sayed delivers major blow to GOP in Michigan after bruising Senate race
Breaking: Democrats Flip Senate Seat in State Trump Won by Double Digits
Mamdani-Backed Democratic Socialist Wins House Seat
Democrats Win Texas Governor’s Race for First Time in 30 Years as Gina Hinojosa Defeats Greg Abbott
Breaking: Democrats Deal Massive Blow to Republicans, Win Control of the Senate
Democrat Gina Hinojosa stuns Abbott, makes history as first Latina Texas governor
Trump’s gamble on Ken Paxton backfires as Democrat pulls off historic Texas Senate upset
‘Planted Fake Corpses’: Former El-Sayed Campaign Worker Charged in Alleged Conspiracy to Victimize Supporters of Israel
Teen previously convicted in shooting accused of killing pregnant mom of 4 inside Spirit Halloween
Power Outage Hits Key Michigan County Shortly Before Polls Close
Democrats score major Senate victory as Pappas defeats Trump-backed Republican in key battleground
Democrats hold firm in Georgia as Republicans fail to flip prized Senate seat
Man, 86, and his dog rescued hundreds of miles off California coast after going silent for 2 months
Michigan voters split between party loyalty and Senate candidates in closely watched race
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.
Thune plans to run for Republican minority leader after Dem’s midterm takeover
Abdul El-Sayed delivers major blow to GOP in Michigan after bruising Senate race
Breaking: Democrats Flip Senate Seat in State Trump Won by Double Digits
Mamdani-Backed Democratic Socialist Wins House Seat
Democrats Win Texas Governor’s Race for First Time in 30 Years as Gina Hinojosa Defeats Greg Abbott
Breaking: Democrats Deal Massive Blow to Republicans, Win Control of the Senate
Democrat Gina Hinojosa stuns Abbott, makes history as first Latina Texas governor
Trump’s gamble on Ken Paxton backfires as Democrat pulls off historic Texas Senate upset
‘Planted Fake Corpses’: Former El-Sayed Campaign Worker Charged in Alleged Conspiracy to Victimize Supporters of Israel
Teen previously convicted in shooting accused of killing pregnant mom of 4 inside Spirit Halloween
Power Outage Hits Key Michigan County Shortly Before Polls Close
Democrats score major Senate victory as Pappas defeats Trump-backed Republican in key battleground
Democrats hold firm in Georgia as Republicans fail to flip prized Senate seat
Man, 86, and his dog rescued hundreds of miles off California coast after going silent for 2 months
Michigan voters split between party loyalty and Senate candidates in closely watched race
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.
