Gun Crimes & Ownership Stats

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It’s no secret guns are dangerous; they are weapons by design. But like any weapon, however lethal it may be, guns are nothing more than tools, set to the purpose of those who wield them. When put to virtuous ends, guns have allowed us to safeguard our nation’s liberties and protect our communities and ourselves. But when placed in the hands of vicious individuals, guns permit needless violence on a grand scale, as our country’s recent tragedies have made painfully clear. With those events fresh in America’s mind, citizens have called for expansive reforms to existing gun legislation.But in order to properly contextualize the debate, one must have a clear understanding of the relationship between gun ownership and violent crime. And as the infographic below demonstrates, that relationship is far more complex than it may appear at first glance. For instance, though Americans only account for about five percent of the world population, we account for nearly half of the world’s total guns. Yet, despite our prodigious ownership statistics, we weren’t even one of the top ten countries for gun violence per capita in 2009. And despite our ever growing stock of gun owners, we’ve seen nearly a seventy percent drop in violent crime over the last forty years.

What does it all mean? You decide. Read the infographic for yourself to draw your own conclusion.