By THE ALASKA STORY
May 17, 2026 – So much for “assault weapons” being the problem in violent deaths in America. The latest FBI homicide weapon data shows that knives and other cutting instruments killed far more people in America in 2024 than rifles of any kind.
According to the FBI’s Expanded Homicide Data Table 8, rifles were used in 401 murders nationwide in 2024. By comparison, knives or cutting instruments were used in 1,566 murders. That’s nearly four times as many.
The FBI report covers murders reported through law enforcement agencies nationwide and breaks down homicides by weapon type from 2020 through 2024.
While firearms overall remained the leading weapon category in homicides, handguns accounted for most gun-related killings. In 2024, handguns were used in 6,246 murders, while rifles accounted for just a small fraction of firearm homicides.
The data also shows a broad decline in murders nationwide. Total homicides fell from 18,624 in 2023 to 15,795 in 2024. Firearm-related murders also dropped significantly, from 14,069 to 11,717.
Long-gun homicides have remained comparatively low and stable for years. The FBI recorded 490 rifle murders in 2020, 464 in 2021, 570 in 2022, 533 in 2023, and 401 in 2024.
Knife killings, meanwhile, consistently outpaced rifle killings every year in the five-year dataset:
- 2020: 1,806 knife killings vs. 490 rifle killings
- 2021: 1,223 knife killings vs. 464 rifle killings
- 2022: 1,720 knife killings vs. 570 rifle killings
- 2023: 1,638 knife killings vs. 533 rifle killings
- 2024: 1,566 knife killings vs. 401 rifle killings
The FBI numbers also show that “personal weapons,” meaning hands, fists, and feet, killed more people in 2024 than rifles did. The category accounted for 633 murders.
Blunt objects such as clubs and hammers were used in 283 murders in 2024, while shotguns accounted for 149.
The data is likely to fuel renewed debate over federal and state gun control policies focused specifically on rifles, including modern sporting rifles commonly labeled by opponents as “assault weapons.” Virginia just banned many types of long guns used for hunting. HB 217 / SB 749 restricts the future sale, manufacture, import, purchase, or transfer of certain “assault firearms,” defined by certain semi-automatic features. It grandfathers in all legally owned guns before July 1, 2026.
4 thoughts on “Latest FBI numbers stick a knife in the ‘assault weapon’ narrative”
The whole ” assault weapon” narrative was invented by people who want the public to not even be allowed pointed sticks. They even saidv” we will use this,language to confuse the public that were banning machine guns by banning scary-looking guns they won’t know the difference ” they believe you’re all stupid!!!
Great Britain proves your point. After making firearms 100% prohibited, they went after knives, to the point where you have to cut a steak (if you can find one of those) with a butter knife.
Murders are the consequent of children growing into adults never learning to understand Genesis 1:26. “ And God said, Let us make man in OUR image, after our likeness:”
Man (or woman) who Doesn’t sees his fellow man (or woman) anything more than a creation like a beast of the earth he’ll have little respect and nor regard for his life as if the victim was nothing but an animal instead of not fashioned after an animal But a creation made in God’s image.
Isn’t that the root why a person murders another person, he stopped seeing his victim as human.