I bet 2014 will be even lower for murder. The cool summer really reduced the murder rate in some of the major cities in the Northern cities. Even so, we shouldn't pat ourselves on the back yet. The crime rate is unacceptably high for certain populations, even if this country feels safe for the majority of people.
This despite gun sales going up every year for 11 years in a row.
Meaningless statistic though. It only takes one gun to shoot someone. These increased sales are simply more people owning 5 guns instead of one.
The relevant statistic is the number of households with zero guns.
That number has steadily increased over the past 30 years or so. 
