True there are many countries with higher rates. But the propaganda disseminated and bought hook, line, and sinker by so many is that the US is the greatest country in the history of mankind, and given that there are literally more than 100 countries that are safer than the US, and many of them are 3rd world countries, the violence level in the US is nothing short of shameful. And the US is not a country suffering from an actual war within its borders, either. It's incredible.