FBI: Percentage Of Murders Committed With Rifles Tiny—And Dropping

posted on September 28, 2016

While anti-gunners try to characterize AR-type modern sporting rifles as “assault weapons” that serve no purpose other than killing, the FBI’s 2015 Uniform Crime Report shows that rifles are far from the murder weapon of choice. They aren’t even in the top five—and they haven’t been at any point from 2011 to 2015. 

In 2015, the number of homicides committed with knives or cutting instruments (1,544) was more than six times the number committed with rifles of any type (252)—with so-called “assault rifles” making up only a subset of that number. Criminals were 73 percent more likely to reach for a blunt object such as a hammer, and roughly two-and-a-half times more likely to use “personal weapons,” like fists or feet. Moreover, during that same time period, the number of rifles sold has skyrocketed, while the number of murders committed with rifles has dropped consistently—even in years when the overall murder rate was up—and never comprised more than three percent of the total. 

Anti-gunners may say their proposed “assault-weapons” bans are necessary for reducing crime, but a look at the numbers shows their motivation for pushing such bans is far more political than preventative.

Latest

Prohibited graphic
Prohibited graphic

Prohibited

If you’ve ever wondered why nonviolent felonies should disqualify someone from their Second Amendment rights for life, then you’re asking the same question a court just did.

The Red Tape of the Bureaucracy

Despite the Second Amendment’s plain language, there are still many places throughout the country in which it is nearly impossible for even the most conscientious citizen to follow the letter of the law. This is by design.

The Increasing Burden of Backdoor Gun Control

A mountain of fees, regulations and more is making it increasingly difficult for many law-abiding Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights. This is what gun-control proponents want.

Biden to Create Anti-Second Amendment Federal Office

President Joe Biden is reportedly set to announce that his administration is creating a new federal office.

From the Editor | The Wildness of the Human Experience

Many people hide behind and project their ideological fantasies onto the political world. If only these same people would take a clear, honest look around them, they might just learn a thing or two.

President’s Column | It’s Your Most Fundamental Freedom — So Set The Record Straight.

As the Declaration of Independence says, all free people “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” The first and most-fundamental of these is the right to arms to defend ourselves.

Interests



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.