How many people are killed with rifles?
Jan 4, 2013, 6:43 PM | Updated: 6:43 pm
Maybe rifles look scary, but rifles aren’t responsible for the majority of murders in this country.
In 2005, there were 16,692 people murdered in the United States. The number of murders committed with a rifle that year: 445 (2.7 percent of all murders). The number of people killed with hammers and clubs in 2005: 605.
In 2006, the total number of murders jumped up to 17,030, 438 were killed with a rifle and 618 were killed with a hammer or club.
In 2011, 14,612 were murdered. This time, 323 with a rifle and 496 people were killed with a hammer or club. Sounds like Congress needs to work on hammer and club control.
One other interesting footnote: almost twice as many people are killed by hands or fists every year when compared to rifles.
Most gun control debates centers around these “assault rifles.” Clearly, banning them would not have a significant impact on murder rates.
But, then again, that’s not really the point of gun control debates is it?
Numbers courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
