With the series of mass killings in public areas over the last few years, gun violence has received significant attention on the news and in politics. Despite this, nearly 9-in-10 Americans are unaware that gun crime has drastically declined over the last two decades. In fact, murders committed with guns have been halved since its peak in the early 1990s, from 7 homicides per 100,000 people to 3.6.

I would guess this perception is based heavily on media spotlighting of single-shooter events. While these events bring up controversial legal and racial issues, they don't significantly add to the gun crime rate.