Last Friday, the FBI released its official 2025 crime report, revealing a remarkable decline in violent and property crimes across the United States. Despite the quiet timing of the release, the data presents some of the most encouraging crime statistics in nearly six decades.
Violent Crime Rates Plummet to Historic Lows
The FBI’s report estimates an 18.1% decrease in murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses in 2025. This puts the national murder rate at 4.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, tying with rates last seen in 1955 and 1956. Crime analyst Jeff Asher notes that due to changes in FBI methodology since 1958, the 2025 murder rate is likely the lowest reliably recorded in U.S. history.
Other violent crimes also saw significant drops: rape offenses decreased by 7.6%, aggravated assaults by 7.2%, and robberies by 18.5%. The overall violent crime rate fell to 328 incidents per 100,000 people, the lowest since 1968. The FBI reported just over 1.1 million violent crimes in 2025, the fewest since 1978, despite a much larger population today.
Property Crimes Reach Record Lows
Non-violent crimes followed a similar downward trend. The FBI recorded 5,245,768 property crimes in 2025, the lowest number since 1966. When adjusted for population, the property crime rate was 1,534.8 per 100,000 residents, the lowest ever documented by the FBI.
Robbery rates also hit a 20-year low at 49.4 offenses per 100,000 people, less than one-third of the peak rate in 2006. These figures underscore a broad decline in criminal activity nationwide.
Contradicting Gun Control Predictions Post-Bruen
Despite these positive trends, the report has received little mainstream media attention. This silence is notable given the ongoing debate over gun rights and violent crime, especially following the 2022 Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which struck down “may issue” carry laws.
Gun control advocates had warned that expanding carry permits would lead to increased violence. However, data from states like New Jersey and Maryland tell a different story. New Jersey, which issued over 200,000 carry licenses in the past four years, saw homicides drop from 110 in the year before the Bruen decision to just 5 in the most recent 12-month period ending May 2026.
Similarly, Maryland experienced a fourfold increase in carry permits after Bruen, while its murder rate steadily declined. Reported homicides fell from 502 in the year before Bruen to 200 in the latest reporting period.
More Guns, Less Crime? Examining the Data
While the FBI’s Crime Index does not cover every police department, it includes enough agencies to provide a reliable snapshot of national and state-level trends. The data indicates that increased lawful gun ownership and carrying have not led to rises in violent crime. In fact, the opposite appears true.
This does not necessarily prove causation—that more guns directly cause crime to fall—but it clearly refutes the premise that more guns lead to more violence. The fundamental argument used by many gun control groups has once again been challenged by empirical evidence.
Conclusion: A Safer America Amidst Changing Gun Laws
The FBI’s 2025 crime report offers a hopeful perspective on public safety in the United States. Violent and property crimes have dropped to levels not seen in over half a century, even as more Americans obtain carry permits and exercise their Second Amendment rights.
These trends raise important questions for policymakers, media, and advocacy groups who have long linked gun ownership with increased crime. As the nation continues to debate gun laws, the latest data underscores the complexity of crime dynamics and the need for evidence-based approaches.
Meanwhile, political leaders, including President Trump and Republicans nationwide, continue to emphasize protecting Second Amendment rights and the right to self-defense in light of these developments.
Source: Read the original reporting.
