Hammers And Fists Cause More Murders Than Guns! FBI Data Making Gun Haters Job Much Harder!

FBI Unified Crime Report: Gun Murder Rate Continues Its Decline

May 23, 2014 by Ben Bullard 

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The latest updated crime report from the FBI demonstrates a continued decline in the number of firearms-related domestic murders, even as consumer interest in guns has soared under the threat of new Federal gun control legislation.

From the FBI’s updated tally of homicides(along with the manner in which they were committed) to reflect crime data from 2012, we find that the gun-related murder rate has declined slightly: from 12,795 murders in 2011 to 12,765 murders in 2012.

That represents the smallest incremental decrease of the past five years. But it continues an established pattern of a steady decline in the number of gun-related homicides, even as the U.S. population has increased and demand for guns has surged.

Judging from the number of pre-purchase background checks processed through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) database, 2012 was a record year in terms of consumer interest in buying firearms. That interest went through the roof in the final weeks of 2012 following the Newtown, Conn., school massacre, which elicited aggressive gun control rhetoric from the Administration of Barack Obama and actual gun control legislation in several States.

“Background checks are one of the best ways to gauge gun sales, since federal law mandates gun stores conduct one for each purchase,” The Atlantic Wire reported last year. “It’s more unclear than ever how many gun purchases get a check, but the number of background checks is far higher now than in previous years. 2011 and 2012 were both significantly above the 1998 — 2010 monthly average; 2013 was higher still.”

Despite that, the number of homicides by gun continues to trickle downward.

As ever, handguns are used to commit murder far more often than other types of guns. In fact, as Breitbart observed, “more people are killed each year with fists and hammers than are killed with rifles or shotguns.” That’s supported by the FBI’s data table for murder victims by weapon, which can be viewed here.