Gun crime rates going up or going down?

[bostonasphalt2]

Does anyone have a good source stating whether or not they are going down as a trend? Have a friend who is arguing that they are going up since the AWB ended and I dont agree, but everything I search is too convoluted to read through to make sense of.

 

[Boghog1]

http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/gun-violence/welcome.htm
Pretty much leveled off,

some more
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/june/crimes_061112/crimes_061112
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/preliminary-annual-ucr-jan-dec-2011

Focusing on the implement used is the wrong way of looking at it, you really need to look at homicides as a whole because if someone is determined to kill someone they are going to do it no matter what

 

[willbdavis]

Well, according to the FBI violent crimes is at its lowest point since 1957

I'd find it hard to believe so-called gun crime isn't down equally.

Ask your friend what he means by "gun crime."

 

[Engineer]

Going down and in some localities, down significantly...

For those who are looking for the definitive analysis of this data, I strongly recommend reading "More Guns, Less Crime" by John Lott Phd. He's done all the data gathering to ensure apples to apples comparison, fully analyzed different questions and presents the results as both absolute bottom line and trend data (both tables and graphs). It's a bit dry but you can skip the statistical formula and just go for the results and graphs.

Be sure to get the 3rd edition as it has the most up to date data and a chapter dedicated to countering false claims by the Brady group and other Anti's