Guns in America, a Statistical Look
Violent crime rates have been falling in recent years, but the number of people killed by firearms in the United States remains high. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, between 2006 and 2010 47,856 people were murdered in the U.S. by firearms, more than twice as many as were killed by all other means combined.
FBI Expanded Homicide Data Table 8
Murder Victims by Weapon, 2006–2010
| Weapons | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 15,087 | 14,916 | 14,224 | 13,752 | 12,996 |
| Total firearms: | 10,225 | 10,129 | 9,528 | 9,199 | 8,775 |
| Handguns | 7,836 | 7,398 | 6,800 | 6,501 | 6,009 |
| Rifles | 438 | 453 | 380 | 351 | 358 |
| Shotguns | 490 | 457 | 442 | 423 | 373 |
| Other guns | 107 | 116 | 81 | 96 | 96 |
| Firearms, type not stated | 1,354 | 1,705 | 1,825 | 1,828 | 1,939 |
| Knives or cutting instruments | 1,830 | 1,817 | 1,888 | 1,836 | 1,704 |
| Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.) | 618 | 647 | 603 | 623 | 540 |
| Personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)1 | 841 | 869 | 875 | 817 | 745 |
| Poison | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 11 |
| Explosives | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 4 |
| Fire | 117 | 131 | 85 | 98 | 74 |
| Narcotics | 48 | 52 | 34 | 52 | 39 |
| Drowning | 12 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 10 |
| Strangulation | 137 | 134 | 89 | 122 | 122 |
| Asphyxiation | 106 | 109 | 87 | 84 | 98 |
| Other weapons or weapons not stated | 1,140 | 1,005 | 999 | 904 | 874 |
Phi Beta Iota: The question you ask determines the answer you get. More people are killed in the USA by imposed poverty than by firearms; the first chart is closer to contextual reality.
See Also:
Graphic: Top Ten Killers In USA – Guns are LAST
Eagle: We MUST Control Baseball Bats
