"Pro-Gun" States Lead Nation in Per Capita Firearm Death Rates New Violence Policy Center Analysis Reveals
Louisiana, Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alabama, Nevada, Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, and Arkansas Top List of Most Deadly States in the Nation
Washington, DC—Traditionally "pro-gun" states in the South and West lead the nation in overall firearm death rates according to a new analysis issued today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) of just-released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. The new VPC analysis uses 2003 data (the most recent available) from the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The analysis reveals that the top 10 states with the highest per capita gun death rates were Louisiana, Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alabama, Nevada, Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, and Arkansas (see chart below for top 10 states, for a ranking of all 50 states, please visit vpc.org. Each of the top 10 states had a per capita gun death rate of at least 15 per 100,000, far exceeding the national per capita gun death rate of 10.36 per 100,000.
States With Highest Per Capita Gun Death, 2003
Rank State Number of Gun Deaths Gun Death Rate per 100,000
1
Louisiana 847 18.84 6 Nevada 374 16.69
2 Alaska 120 18.50 7 Mississippi 477 16.56
3 Wyoming 89 17.76 8 Montana 145 15.80
4 New Mexico 326 17.39 9 Arizona 849 15.21
5 Alabama 765 17.00 10 Arkansas 413 15.15
|
