Knives kill more than guns in the U.S.? Just not true

As the public debate over extending background checks for gun purchases unfolded last week, I saw a statement on Facebook that knives are used more than guns each year in homicides. That didn’t ring true, so I did some research. The statistics below are from the FBI’s website. Go here to see them for yourself. To see the whole list below at once, use the drop-down menu and select “Show 25 entries.” (There are only 20 rows, so that’s all you’ll see.)

It still seems reasonable to me to require a background check when someone wants to purchase a gun. It’s not a cure-all measure, and it won’t stop someone hellbent on homicide, but it could deter some people and slow others down. A reported 90 percent of Americans see this as a common-sense step. How about you? (Thoughtful comments are welcome. Thoughtful rants, even. But nothing outside the borders of good taste!)