Firearms Deaths

The good folks in the news media would have you believe that every murder committed is with a firearm.  Indeed, firearms account for more than half of the murders committed in the United States, but that doesn’t mean that all murders are done with a firearm.

From a criminological point of view, murder is a complicated and (technically) messy act.  We always want to know why a person would take another person’s life, which goes to motive.  We sometimes look to motive to show a person’s intent to murder.  Motive is not a factor in our judicial system.  Intent, however, is. 

There are relationships, things people do, and places people go that expose them to violence.  The majority of murder victims are either related to their assailant or are acquainted with their assailant.  It should be no surprise that a person's home can be a dangerous place.  The presence and use of alcoholic beverages also expose a person to violence.  Being with someone who is intoxicated or being in and around bars or lounges also puts a person in harms way, especially at night.  Gang activity is responsible for about 2,000 homicides annually.  There were 2,363 gang homicides in 2012 (https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Survey-Analysis/Measuring-the-Extent-of-Gang-Problems).

To be clear, I am a Second Amendment supporter.  I also believe there are actions we can take to reduce the number of firearm murders.  But I think it is also important to keep things in proper perspective.  For that reason, I’ve compiled a list of weapons used to commit murder in 2012 along with Drug Overdose Deaths, and Traffic Deaths, including DUI/DWI deaths.  Source data are included.  I’ve only listed some of the instruments used for murders.

Cause of Death	Number & Year of Statistics
All Firearms	9.032 (2012)
Drug Overdose	70,237 (2017)
All Traffic Deaths	37,461 (2018)
DWI/DUI	10,874 (2017)

Murder Instrument	Number
Handguns	6,562
Rifles	248
Shotguns	262
Other Firearm	1,959
Knives	1,567
Blunt Object	435
Hands/Feet	660
Fire	71
Narcotics	62
Strangulation	89
Asphyxiation	96
Other	830
Total	11,961

(https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/expanded-homicide-data/expanded_homicide_data_table_8_murder_victims_by_weapon_2010-2014.xls)

“70,237 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2017.” (https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html)

Highway traffic deaths: 37,461 (2018)

(https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812451)

DWI/DUI Deaths 2017: 10,874

(https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving)

If we want to reduce preventable death and carnage in our country, it would only make sense that we would express more outrage about drug-related deaths and traffic accidents.  And while we should not downplay the role of firearms in murders and suicides in the United States, I would suggest that we have a behavioral problem in our country and not a gun problem.

Note: Sources used were based on the first reliable sets of data that were found on the internet.