Enough with the weapons other than guns kill more people

**Homicides by Weapon Type**
	Handgun	Other gun	Knife	Blunt object	Other weapon
1976	8,651	3,328	3,343	912	2,546
1977	8,563	3,391	3,648	900	2,618
1978	8,879	3,569	3,685	937	2,490
1979	9,858	3,732	4,121	1,039	2,710
1980	10,552	3,834	4,439	1,153	3,061
1981	10,324	3,740	4,364	1,166	2,927
1982	9,137	3,501	4,383	1,032	2,957
1983	8,472	2,794	4,214	1,098	2,731
1984	8,183	2,835	3,956	1,090	2,626
1985	8,165	2,973	3,996	1,051	2,794
1986	9,054	3,126	4,235	1,176	3,018
1987	8,781	3,094	4,076	1,169	2,980
1988	9,375	3,162	3,978	1,296	2,869
1989	10,225	3,197	3,923	1,279	2,877
1990	11,677	3,395	4,077	1,254	3,037
1991	13,101	3,277	3,909	1,252	3,161
1992	13,158	3,043	3,447	1,088	3,024
1993	13,981	3,094	3,140	1,082	3,233
1994	13,496	2,840	2,960	963	3,071
1995	12,050	2,679	2,731	981	3,169
1996	10,731	2,533	2,691	917	2,777
1997	9,705	2,631	2,363	833	2,678
1998	8,844	2,168	2,257	896	2,805
1999	7,943	2,174	2,042	902	2,461
2000	7,985	2,218	2,099	727	2,556
2001	7,900	2,239	2,090	776	3,032
2002	8,286	2,538	2,018	773	2,588
2003	8,830	2,223	2,085	745	2,645
2004	8,304	2,357	2,133	759	2,595
2005	8,478	2,868	2,147	671	2,528
2006	7,836	2,389	1,989	656	2,367
2007	7,398	2,731	1,923	665	2,444
2008	6,800	2,728	1,888	676	2,432
2009	6,501	2,698	1,836	667	2,220
2010	6,009	2,766	1,842	600	2,157

See the chart above. One of the more interesting tropes that make their way around the Internet is the trope that weapons other than guns kill more people than guns. The chart above is compiled from national records. Sadly, what it does show is that this is nowhere near true. The reality is that guns are involved in well over 50% of the homicides in the USA. Sadly, as in all too many political arguments in the USA, truth is the first victim of those who are arguing with each other. Because all of us do not tend to check “facts,” we are taken in by statistics that favor our point of view. Worse, we will then tend to deny that we are wrong when the more accurate statistics come in.

Notice that I am not excusing myself. All human beings have the tendency to look more favorably on supposed evidence that favors their opinion. All human beings are less likely to check supposed facts carefully if those supposed facts favor them. Nevertheless, here is what is true. Guns kill more people than the sum total of all other means of killing people combined.