Fox Claimed U.S. Has Lowest Murder Rate By Guns In The World

Bolling: U.S. Has “Lowest Murder Rate By Gun In The World.” On the April 4 edition of The Five, co-host Eric Bolling said, “Your number, your 270 million guns in America, 308 million Americans, also of the lowest murder rate by gun in the world also. So more guns equals lower murder rate by guns.” [Fox News, The Five, 4/4/13]

In Fact, U.S. Has Leading Gun Homicide Rate Among Other Developed Nations

ABC News: “US Gun Homicide Rate Higher Than Other Developed Countries.” A 2012 ABC News article reported that the U.S. has a higher gun homicide rate than other developed countries. From the article, headlined “US Gun Homicide Rate Higher Than Other Developed Countries”:

There are an estimated 88.8 civilian guns per 100 people in the United States, according to the Small Arms Survey, a number unparalleled to the rest of the world. With the right to bear arms written into the Constitution of the United States and the fabric of American culture, it's no surprise that this number is higher than it is in other G-8 countries for which there is data.

But the United States also has a much higher rate of homicides by gun -- 3.2 homicides by firearm per 100,000 people, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Homicide Statistics.

Even Italy, the G-8 member with the second highest rate of homicides by firearm, comes in far behind the United States. According to United Nations data, a person is 4.5 times more likely to die from gun violence in the United States than Italy. [ABC News, 12/18/12]

Washington Post: “Americans Are 20 Times As Likely To Be Killed By A Gun Than Is Someone From Another Developed Country.” In 2012, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. has the highest gun-related murder rate in the developed world and that “Americans are 20 times as likely to be killed by a gun than is someone from another developed country”:

One piece of this puzzle is the national rate of firearm-related murders, which is charted above. The United States has by far the highest per capita rate of all developed countries. According to data compiled by the United Nations, the United States has four times as many gun-related homicides per capita as do Turkey and Switzerland, which are tied for third. The U.S. gun murder rate is about 20 times the average for all other countries on this chart. That means that Americans are 20 times as likely to be killed by a gun than is someone from another developed country.

The Post included the following chart showing that the U.S. has significantly more gun-related murders than any other developed country:

[The Washington Post, 12/14/12]

Fox Claimed Public Is Turning Against Obama On Gun Control

Perino: “Public Opinion Has Continued To Move Away From The President.” The Five co-host Dana Perino said, “The background checks issue would not have prevented what happened in Newtown. I think that's one of the reasons that public opinion has continued to move away from the president.” [Fox News, The Five, 4/4/13]

In Fact, Vast Majority Of Americans Want Expanded Background Checks On Gun Purchases

Washington Post: 90 Percent Of Americans Support Expanding Background Checks On Gun Purchases. The Washington Post reported that "[n]ine in 10 Americans support expanding background checks on gun purchases in a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, an extraordinary level of agreement on a political issue and a finding that's been duplicated in nearly every major public poll." [The Washington Post, 4/3/13]

Quinnipiac University Poll: 91 Percent Of Americans Want Universal Background Checks. A Quinnipiac University poll, conducted between March 26 and April 1, found that 91 percent of Americans support universal background checks:

American voters say 48 - 38 percent that the government could use the information from universal background checks to confiscate legally-owned guns, but voters still support universal gun background checks 91 - 8 percent, including 88 - 11 percent among voters in households with guns, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. [Quinnipiac University, 4/4/13]