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Murder in the US - number of victims by weapon 2017
Murder in the US - number of victims by weapon 2017
Number of murder victims in the United States in 2017, by weapon
by Statista Research Department,
last edited
Jul 26, 2019
Which weapon is predominantly used in murder cases?
In the United States, handguns are predominantly used in murder cases, with 7,032 cases in 2017 alone. This is followed by firearms (type not stated) and knives or cutting instruments with 3,096 and 1,591 cases respectively in 2017.Murder in the U.S.
The majority of murders in the U.S. are committed under unknown circumstances, and murders due to arguments come in as the second most common circumstance. Despite these gruesome facts, the violent crime rate has fallen significantly since 1990, and the United States is much safer than it was in the 1980s and 1990s.
Leading cause of death
The death rate in the U.S. has hovered around the same level since 1990. Heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases were the three leading causes of death in the country in 2016. The rate of death by heart disease is significantly higher than the homicide rate in the United States.
Number of murder victims in the United States in 2017, by weapon
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| Number of murder victims | |
|---|---|
| Handguns | 7,032 |
| Firearms, type not stated | 3,096 |
| Knives or cutting instruments | 1,591 |
| Other weapons or weapons not stated | 979 |
| Personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)* | 696 |
| Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.) | 467 |
| Rifles | 403 |
| Shotguns | 264 |
| Other guns | 187 |
| Asphyxiation | 105 |
| Fire | 103 |
| Narcotics | 97 |
| Strangulation | 88 |
| Poison | 13 |
| Drowning | 8 |
| Explosives | 0 |
| Number of murder victims | |
|---|---|
| Handguns | 7,032 |
| Firearms, type not stated | 3,096 |
| Knives or cutting instruments | 1,591 |
| Other weapons or weapons not stated | 979 |
| Personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)* | 696 |
| Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.) | 467 |
| Rifles | 403 |
| Shotguns | 264 |
| Other guns | 187 |
| Asphyxiation | 105 |
| Fire | 103 |
| Narcotics | 97 |
| Strangulation | 88 |
| Poison | 13 |
| Drowning | 8 |
| Explosives | 0 |
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by Statista Research Department,
last edited
Jul 26, 2019
Which weapon is predominantly used in murder cases?
In the United States, handguns are predominantly used in murder cases, with 7,032 cases in 2017 alone. This is followed by firearms (type not stated) and knives or cutting instruments with 3,096 and 1,591 cases respectively in 2017.Murder in the U.S.
The majority of murders in the U.S. are committed under unknown circumstances, and murders due to arguments come in as the second most common circumstance. Despite these gruesome facts, the violent crime rate has fallen significantly since 1990, and the United States is much safer than it was in the 1980s and 1990s.
Leading cause of death
The death rate in the U.S. has hovered around the same level since 1990. Heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases were the three leading causes of death in the country in 2016. The rate of death by heart disease is significantly higher than the homicide rate in the United States.
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- Release date
- September 2018
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 2017
- Supplementary notes
- *Pushed is included in personal weapons.
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Source
- Show sources information
- As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic.
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- September 2018
More information
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 2017
- Supplementary notes
- *Pushed is included in personal weapons.
- Open this statistic in...
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