FBI Data: Four Times as Many People Killed With Knives Than With Rifles in 2019
Richard Moorhead
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Crime data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicates that four times as many people were killed with knives than with rifles in 2019.
The federal agency’s Uniform Crime Report, released in late September, summarizes documented homicides and the means of their execution.
1,476 killings were accomplished with the use of “knives and cutting objects.” 364 took place with the use of a rifle, the majority of these deaths taking place during mass shooting events.
Even more homicides occurred through the use of “personal weapons” of hands and feet and blunt objects, with 600 and 397 deaths attributed to their use respectively.
The ratio of killings by weapon category remains relatively consistent over the past five years, with knives consistently being used in more homicides than rifles.
Handguns were used in more murders than any other tool, with 6,386 homicides taking place through their use in 2019. An additional 3,281 homicides involved the use of a “firearm, type not stated.”
The UCR for 2019 was only published in September. It’s likely 2020 crime statistics will break down an even larger pool of homicides, with violent crime spiking in Democrat-run big cities in conjunction with coronavirus and soft-on-crime liberal municipal policies.
Rifles are not commonly used in crimes, at all. It’s far from practical for criminals or thugs to use an AK or AR style firearm when far more concealable options are widely available.
It’s peculiar that liberal Democrats continue to agitate fiercely for an outright ban on what they deem to be “assault weapons,” a category distinct from rifles broadly. Perhaps Joe Biden should advocate for a banning on knives, hands and feet to counteract the most common forms of homicide in the United States.
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