By Steve Sanetti
You’re really not to blame if you haven’t heard that violent crime declined again in 2014. After all, the news media generally do not report on the release of these annual statistics from the country’s leading federal crime fighting agency.
NEWTOWN, Conn –-(Ammoland.com)- The FBI this month released the 2014 edition of Crime in the United States, and it revealed that the estimated number of reported violent crimes decreased 0.2 percent when compared with 2013.
And the estimated number of property crimes decreased 4.3 percent from 2013 levels.
Homicides with firearms in 2014 were down 3.9 percent on a year-over-year basis. Consistent with previous years of this ongoing work, the vast majority of these murders were committed with handguns, although all categories of gun murders were lower. Rifles of all kinds were involved in just 3 percent of gun murders in 2014, lower than the number of deaths attributable to knives, blunt objects, and even fists or feet.
While the one-year numbers may not look that dramatic, they are nonetheless important because they serve to illustrate the long-term, 20-year downward trend in crime in the United States is continuing.
Using NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) data over a ten-year period since 2005, the best proxy we have for firearms sales, we see a 74.1 percent increase in background checks even as the violent crime fell 16.2 percent. The 15-year trend is even more dramatic, showing an 81.8 percent increase in NICS numbers even as violent crime fell 18.2 percent.
Put simply, more firearms in the hands of the mostly law-abiding American population have not yielded an increase in crime.
Not seeing much (or any) mainstream news coverage of the newly released crime stats? Well, we’re not surprised and if you read our blog on even a periodic basis, it’s no surprise to you either. We’ve covered this topic before. In fact, the motion infographic that we released more than a year ago, remains accurate in content and direction.
The gun control lobby gets considerable attention for arguing that there is an “epidemic of gun violence” extant in the land. Every death due to the criminal misuse of a firearm is a tragedy. We would never suggest otherwise. But two decades of a steady, dramatic decrease in such crimes is the opposite of an epidemic. It would be nice if the mainstream media would report on these facts.
About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.
If they were REALLY serious about the “danger” of guns, wouldn’t they want to “SET an EXAMPLE” by disarming their OWN Security Forces, body guards, Admin-funded (by tax-payers) NBP, Farra-quairn and THEIR ideology that encourages, inspires, and motivates violence?? Or is this just another Partisan, Political, Progressive form of “wresting control” from decent, LAW-abiding American citizens? Anti-America, extreme Liberals need not answer! You’d only LIE anyway! Besides, we already KNOW whose side you’re on!
We’re anti gun until we are violated in some manor which will never effect those who can afford armed security.
A criminal could shoot a child of these sadly ignorant people and they would still not understand it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun and the police, God bless them, can’t be everywhere at once.
Arm up and stay strong America. The News Media are with anti-gunners and Liberal politicians and will never report any thing positive about guns,only the bad stuff. They along with the present administration have an Agenda to disarm America.
Percentages mean nothing if you are the victim, so arm up and get training.
Yesterday the news said that 55 percent of Americans favor Gun control, my question would be did they ask any conservatives that question or was it only for bleeding heart liberals who’s ideology is solely based on emotion and not facts.
They were asking all those dead people that have been voting for Obama in the last two elections…
Which included my precious grandfather! He was a devout, dedicated Conservative during his entire life! He passed away in 1948 and has voted for the Left Liberals ever since!