The statistics are compiled by the FBI in its annual crime statistics. The figures are not complete – there are no stats for Florida on firearm murders and the data for Illinois is incomplete. But even so it provides a detailed picture of attacks by state.

Victims killed at a political event where Gabrielle Giffords was also shot in Tucson, Arizona. Photograph: AP

Gun crime across the US is in the news – after the shooting spree in Tucson, Arizona, that targeted congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and left six dead, including a nine-year-old child

In 2009 – the latest year for which detailed statistics are available – there were 13,636 murders in the US. Of those, 9,146 were caused by firearms.

The statistics are compiled by the FBI in its annual crime statistics. The figures are not complete – there are no stats for Florida on firearm murders and the data for Illinois is incomplete. But even so it provides a detailed picture of attacks by state.

The figures show that, bad as Arizona’s gun crime stats are, they are not the worst in the US – places like Tennessee or District of Columbia have higher rates.

But this is how Arizona breaks down:
• 197 firearms murders in 2009 – 60.1% of all murders, 2.99 per 100,000
• 4,053 aggravated assault involving firearms
• 3,671 robberies involving firearms

In fact, gun crime, like all crime across the US  is going down.