>In 2008, 34 per cent of 611 homicides reported by police were committed with knives, a seven per cent increase from 1999 and more than double the approximately 15 per cent level of 1974, the first year for which homicide data is available. The proportion of homicides involving guns, meanwhile, dropped significantly — from approximately 48 per cent in 1974 to 34 per cent in 2008.
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>Our gun laws seem to be working - The criminals have switched to knives. Isn't that encouraging? <g>

Percent of what? How many murders per capita?

Statistics like this just beg to be shredded. The relative rise of knifings over the shootings tells us only that it's now more of those than of these, but how does it compare to general murder rates?

Whenever I see a statement based on statistics so devoid of context, I have only one question: what's this guy trying to sell?