Myth or Fact?

[OWGEM]

Many of us have seen the claim on the Internet that .22's have killed more people than any other caliber. Google searches turn up no verifiable statistics. Is anyone able to clarify whether this is myth or fact?
Not an advocate of small calibers just curious.
Thanks

 

[eldirector]

Tagging the thread....

I've posted info on murder by caliber before. Off to find it again.....

I can't find my source on this.

Some other info, though:

Page 3 of this report out of California for 2009 shows 9mm.
http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/pdfs/publications/Firearms_Report_09.pdf

Lots of links to other studies (Google Answers article). Also shows 9mm
Google Answers: Crime Statistics by Handgun Caliber

 

[HoughMade]

It would make sense.

 

[Lectric102002]

Wiki Answers says 7.62

 

[HoughMade]

Killed more people? That would include murder, defense, suicide and accidents.

I'd have a hard time believing anything other than .22 LR

 

[AGarbers]

I have read that many times in the past. It makes sense because it is the most common caliber.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Given how many are out there, its possible. This is especially possible if you count accidentals and suicides.

Locally, there are very few rimfires being used in shooting crimes. There are some where we can't figure out the caliber due to bullet condition (fragmented badly, etc.) but I'd say less than 5% of my cases last year involved a rimfire. For other detectives, when a caliber is listed on the information sheet, I seldom see .22. .25 is dying out as well, I used to see a lot more of it. The 9mm, .40, .45, and .38/357 make up the vast majority of calibers used in crimes around here.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I've heard that assertion about .22's too. But I think that would be for a certain category of deaths, say accidental shootings. Surely, if you're talking about for all time-worldwide-all-in, it would have to be something like 7.62 or 9mm.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

Do you figure people are referring to people killed in the USA or worldwide, civilian only or including warfare?

 

[armedindy]

it IS the most popular cal. But it wasnt always...guns have been around for a while

 

[hochwald]

I have read that many times in the past. It makes sense because it is the most common caliber.

What are you talking about, .22 is nearly impossible to find these days!

 

[Mikeshep1462]

Couple insights from yahoo answers I found. I think they made a pretty good point at least. Don't mind the bad grammar and spelling in the first one, as I didn't type it. Just copy and pasted and didn't care to fix it all right now. I'd probably have to nominate the 7.92x57 like the second one though if I had to guess, but I thought the AK-47 has supposedly killed more people than any other weapon on earth? so maybe 7.62x39 as well.

"7.62x25 tokarev. It was used in tokarev pistol and ppsh submachinegun all out wwII, and not only by soviets and their allies, but germans used this round too, in the 7.62 or 7.63/65 of mauser. Also this round was used for notorius mass execution by kgb, and is still mass produced for personal firearms, and China still uses it as main handgun of the military, + many many 3rd world countries."

"As for all time kills by one cartridge, I'd have to nominate the German 7.92x57mm. It was used in both World Wars by the side that inflicted many times the losses they took on the other side. Millions of Russians alone died by that round, not to mention hundreds of thousands of French, Brits, and Americans."

 

[Rocko]

I heard this awhile back as well. Tried looking it up and couldn't really find anything definitive. I'd think it would have to be in the USA only because if you count all the deaths from wars, that would be hard to believe that a 22lr is king.

 

[Indiana Camper]

This seems to come up on forums from time to time. Keep in mind though that killing and stopping are two different things. Some people use this argument and say a person should carry .22 for SD. Yes many people may die from .22's 2 or 3 days later in a hospital bed but I don't think it's very good at stopping a bad person from doing something bad right then.
With that said though I remember a case where a homeowner came home to a burglar in his home. He shot and killed the guy through a (cheap) bedroom door one time with a .22

 

[HoughMade]

A long scarf and open wheels can kill, but I'm not going to carry silks and an 1927 Amilcar for self defense.

 

[StunnedMonkey]

A long scarf and open wheels can kill, but I'm not going to carry silks and an 1927 Amilcar for self defense.

And there's your Isadora Duncan reference for the day. Before noon even.

 

[N8RV]

And there's your Isadora Duncan reference for the day. Before noon even.

Isadora Duncan? Lovely woman. I think we might have had a date once. Or maybe we just exchanged letters. Mail. It was called mail.

 

[BogWalker]

I find it hard to believe. Yes, it's one of the most common calibers, but it's not popular at all for purposeful killings. It might be the leader in accidental deaths, but they make up a small fraction of yearly firearms deaths. 9mm is much more common for murders, and I have read no data on suicides (most common firearms related death in the United States).

Anyone have any idea on firearms used in suicides? I imagine it would lean more towards 9mm and 12 gauge than it would .22.

I'm intentionally leaving out statistics from warfare. If we added those the title would definitely go to 7.92x57 or 7.62x39.

 

[cosermann]

I've never seen any data that suggests to me that .22 lr has killed more people than any other caliber. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but I haven't seen it.

Actually, when I do see some data, although not always directly related, it's makes me lean in the direction of "myth."

For example, the FBI report Violent Encounters - A Study of Felonious Assaults on Our Nation's Law Enforcement Officers has a table that shows handgun cartridges used to kill victim officers (1992 study). In that study, .38 was used 41% of the time, followed by .357 (15%), 9mm/12%, .32/10%, .44/.45/.22 - all at 5%, .25/.380 both at 3%. The table of calibers used to assault victim officers was similar - i.e. .22 down in the weeds. [1]

Doesn't exactly answer the question, but makes me lean in the "myth" direction. For crime/homicide anyway.

[1] - http://www.secondcalldefense.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Violent-Encounters.pdf - see page 18 of pdf, 10 of document.

 

[calum]

If you include accidental shootings, I'd say .22 certainly has it. For murder, I don't think it wins by as big a margin... if at all.