Murders have become so common over the past few years that if murder rates remain at current levels, one out of every 179 people in the U.S. will eventually be murdered. Murders in the United States grew from about 18,342 victims in 2019 to 24,493 in 2021, a 34% increase. Identifying the cause (or causes) of the recent rise in murders is complicated by the fact that correlation does not prove causation. Paying no heed to this reality, many media outlets have pinned the blame on Covid-19 and gun sales. However, the data are much more consistent with the possibility that the "Black Lives Matter" movement is responsible for the carnage.