An official website of the United States government. Here's how you know
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation
Home • Crime in the U.S. • 2017 • Crime in the U.S. 2017 • Tables • Expanded Homicide Data Table 8

Expanded Homicide Data Table 8

Murder Victims

by Weapon, 2013–2017

Weapons 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Total 12,253 12,270 13,750 15,296 15,129
Total firearms: 8,454 8,312 9,778 11,138 10,982
Handguns 5,782 5,673 6,569 7,204 7,032
Rifles 285 258 258 378 403
Shotguns 308 264 272 261 264
Other guns 123 93 177 187 187
Firearms, type not stated 1,956 2,024 2,502 3,108 3,096
Knives or cutting instruments 1,490 1,595 1,589 1,632 1,591
Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.) 428 446 450 479 467
Personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)1 687 682 659 669 696
Poison 11 10 8 13 13
Explosives 2 7 1 1 0
Fire 94 71 84 114 103
Narcotics 53 70 75 122 97
Drowning 4 14 14 9 8
Strangulation 85 89 99 99 88
Asphyxiation 95 102 120 93 105
Other weapons or weapons not stated 850 872 873 927 979
  • 1 Pushed is included in personal weapons.