Gun Violence Drops

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, it's been dropping for twenty years.

 WASHINGTON–Firearm-related homicides declined 39 percent and nonfatal firearm crimes declined 69 percent from 1993 to 2011, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. Firearm-related homicides dropped from 18,253 homicides in 1993 to 11,101 in 2011, and nonfatal firearm crimes dropped from 1.5 million victimizations in 1993 to 467,300 in 2011.

Well, that's good.  Fatal homicides declined 39 percent, and non-fatal incidents decreased 69 percent in those 20 years.  With more guns in circulation than ever.  Imagine that.  However, the bigger statistic is where the illegal guns came from.  Not the gun show loophole, or flea markets, or even yet the internet (which is another huge lie told to us by the banners).

 In 2004 (the most recent year of data available), among state prison inmates who possessed a gun at the time of the offense, fewer than two percent bought their firearm at a flea market or gun show. About 10 percent of state prison inmates said they purchased it from a retail store or pawnshop, 37 percent obtained it from family or friends, and another 40 percent obtained it from an illegal source.

Two percent of state prison inmates got their guns from gun shows.  37% from family and friends, and 40% illegally.  That sorta puts the lie to the gun show loophole, doesn't it?

Then, Pew gives us another study, directly on point.

 Compared with 1993, the peak of U.S. gun homicides, the firearm homicide rate was 49% lower in 2010, and there were fewer deaths, even though the nation’s population grew. The victimization rate for other violent crimes with a firearm—assaults, robberies and sex crimes—was 75% lower in 2011 than in 1993. Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall (with or without a firearm) also is down markedly (72%) over two decades.

We've got more people, we've got more guns in circulation and the murder rate is dropping.  Precipitously dropping.   It makes you wonder why Congress wants to do something about gun violence, doesn't it?

It's not about guns, people, it's about control.   Hat tip to Hot Air.