You ca n't escape the headlines . An Australian going to college in the United States is gunned down by teens who police say killed him out of boredom . A few days later , a World War II veteran is beaten to death for reasons still unknown . The death of Australian Christopher Lane in Duncan , Oklahoma , even sparked calls for Aussies to boycott travel to the United States because of all the violence . Two shocking , high-profile crimes , one question : `` What the hell is going on ! ? '' Facebook user Stacey James Gordon wrote on CNN 's Facebook page . `` This country better wake up ... our youth have serious issues , '' Heather Chesser wrote . Although the cases have struck a nerve with their disturbing randomness and apparent cruelty , the reality is that living in the United States may never have been safer , and you 're much more likely to be the victim of a crime committed by someone you know than you are to be assaulted by a stranger . Nearly eight of every 10 murders in the United States between 1993 and 2008 were committed by someone the victim knew , according a 2010 report by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics . The report did n't include figures for 2011 or 2012 . Similarly , nearly two out of every three nonviolent crimes were committed by someone the victim knew . Pair that with figures on overall crime : According to the FBI , the violent crime rate in the United States is about half what it was in 1992 . And between 1992 and 2011 , the annual number of murders in the United States fell from 23,760 to 14,612 despite a growing population . Rape , robbery , assault , even property crimes also fell in a well-documented decline that has gone on for years , albeit with a small upturn in 2012 . Criminologists have cited shifts in the crack cocaine market , which drove many 1990s-era murders ; an increase in the number of offenders behind bars ; the country 's aging population ; and more sophisticated policing for the declines . But perceptions of crime have n't always followed the reality . In May , a Pew Research Center study found that 56 % of Americans believe that gun violence is higher than it was 20 year ago , even though it has fallen precipitously since the 1990s . And in 2011 , Gallup found that 68 % of Americans believed crime was getting worse , despite the reality of declining crime rates nationwide .
Crime rates have been declining for years . Most crimes are committed by people known to the victims . Comment: Many U.S. residents believe crime is getting worse .