The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued a statement Thursday pointing to recent federal crime data as evidence that high rates of private firearm ownership do not lead to higher rates of violent crime.
The Bellevue-based gun rights organization cited numbers from an FBI crime report detailing year-to-year declines in several major offense categories between 2024 and 2025.
According to the federal data referenced in the group’s release, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses dropped by an estimated 18.1 percent over the past year. Robbery offenses fell by an estimated 18.5 percent, and aggravated assault cases decreased by an estimated 7.2 percent nationwide.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb highlighted the drop alongside recent trends in gun purchases and state-level carry legislation.
“Yet here we are, following years of steady firearms sales, resulting in expanded gun ownership, and violent crime has plummeted,” Gottlieb said. “This isn’t us talking, it’s the FBI, which said in its own news release that these figures ‘marked the largest year-to-year decline in violent crime rates since FBI estimations began in 1936.’ Not surprisingly, the media has failed to report this part of the story.”
Gottlieb pointed to firearms industry figures showing millions of annual gun sales, an estimated 20 million licensed concealed carry permit holders nationwide, and 29 states that have passed permitless “constitutional carry” laws. He also cited recent Supreme Court decisions affirming Second Amendment protections.
In his statement, Gottlieb criticized gun control advocacy groups and their response to the latest statistics.
“And now, gun prohibitionists remain silent, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge their hysteria-driven rhetoric has been wrong, because their crusade has never been about public safety. Their goal is public disarmament,” Gottlieb said.
He added that gun control proponents are “running on empty” and will continue to advocate for tighter restrictions while ignoring broader criminal justice policies.
“The FBI data just let the air out of their tires,” Gottlieb said. “It’s time for them to start walking.”
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