Thursday, January 1, 2009

2007 FBI Crime Report

This may be old news to some of you; the report came out in September.

The report shows:
  • The national violent crime rate was very close to hitting a 30-year low.
  • The national murder rate was very near a 40-year low.
  • The number of privately owned firearms is higher than it has ever been, and the number increases by about 4.5 million a year.
  • The three major U.S. Cities with the highest murder rates were Detroit, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.. Handgun purchasers in Michigan must first obtain a permit, and all handguns are registered. Maryland’s guns laws are plentiful, including bans on person-to-person handgun sales, an "Assault Weapon" and "high-capacity" magazine ban, a seven day waiting period on handgun sales, and a virtual ban on concealed carry. In 2007, D.C. was still denying all requests for private handgun purchases, and required that all firearms be stored disassembled and locked up.
  • Right-to-carry states had lower crime rates than the rest of the country.
  • For 2007, 32 percent of murders didn’t involve firearms. Rifles and shotguns (all included) were used in six percent of murders, with a pretty even split. Firearms reported as “assault weapons” were reported in one percent of murders.

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