In the UK (population c. 60.5m) there were 765 reported incidents of murder for 2005-6 (Home Office, undated) - a rate of about 1.1 per 100,000.
In the US (population c. 298.5m) there were an estimated 16,137 homicides in 2004 (FBI, 2006a) - a rate of about 5.4 per 100,000.
The US has 5 times the murder rate, and 20 times the actual murders. So all the bluster on this thread is pretty silly.
Now go look at the violent crime rates for both countries and get back to us. Also, look at the trends over the last 10 years for both.
Finally, take a look at the demographics of a large percentage of our murders. In particular, the segment we can’t really talk meaningfully about.