"Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall (with or without a firearm) also is down markedly (72%) over two decades."
So, gun crime's falling significantly slower than crime in general, which may account for the public perception.
So, gun crime's falling significantly slower than crime in general, which may account for the public perception.
Public perception is being driven by a media with an anti-gun agenda.
Um... no.
Why are you comparing violent non-fatal crime, to gun homicides?
The second line doesn't follow from the first as it is implied.
You can't get "gun crime is falling more slowly than crime in general" from that statistic, because "general crime" includes homicides which were removed from that statistic. It is entirely possible that if you add in homicides that overall crime is decreasing faster.
I don't really know, but it would be interesting to see some numbers. Is there some kind of minimum murder rate that can't be lowered further just with laws (i.e. some more fundamental cultural change is required)?
If so, then we might be approaching that minimum (for the current US culture/society) and that could explain why they aren't decreasing much any more.