Deaths by weapon used According to Statista, 6,368 murders were committed in 2019 using handguns, amounting to approximately 44% of all firearm deaths. 3,281 deaths were caused by firearms of an unknown type (over 22%). Rifles were used in 364 murders in 2019, which amounts to 2.5% of all firearm deaths. Shotguns were used in 200 murders, amounting to under 2% of firearm deaths. To add further perspective, while 364 murders were committed with a rifle, 397 murders were committed with blunt objects, 600 with personal weapons such as fists or feet, and 1,476 with knives or cutting instruments.
However, given the clear statistical breakdown of gun violence in the United States, one simply must ask why the focus of our legislative officials remains squarely on one form of violence, while ignoring the vast majority of other forms which are impacting thousands of Americans — most of them black — every single day.