In 2019, more people in the US were bludgeoned to death by hammers and clubs than shot by rifles, and more people killed by being punched, kicked, pushed down the stairs, etc. than by rifles and shotguns combined.
I believe this is true in every year, as a matter of fact. There may be the occasional exception, I don't know, but that would be a big anomaly.
Even if your "common sense gun reform" got rid of all rifle deaths, and people who would murder with a rifle didn't switch to another weapon, it would barely get rid of 3% of murders.
And that's still being overly generous. Because, I believe, most rifle deaths are not "murders." Rifles are not popular weapons for murders, but are popular self defense weapons. I would imagine many of those rifle deaths are legitimate self defense, and not murder.
Gun death statistics don't take into account whether the killing was justified, or murder. So the numbers are even smaller than the official counts. We're talking a couple hundred deaths, at most, per year, in the entire massive country. Rifle murders are practically nowhere on the list, when it comes to leading causes of death.
I believe this is true in every year, as a matter of fact. There may be the occasional exception, I don't know, but that would be a big anomaly.
And that's still being overly generous. Because, I believe, most rifle deaths are not "murders." Rifles are not popular weapons for murders, but are popular self defense weapons. I would imagine many of those rifle deaths are legitimate self defense, and not murder.
Gun death statistics don't take into account whether the killing was justified, or murder. So the numbers are even smaller than the official counts. We're talking a couple hundred deaths, at most, per year, in the entire massive country. Rifle murders are practically nowhere on the list, when it comes to leading causes of death.