'Pro-Gun' States Lead the Nation in Per Capita Firearm Death Rates

Violence Policy Center Analysis of New Data Reveals Louisiana, Alaska,
Montana, Tennessee, and Alabama Top List of Deadliest States in the Nation

Blind Allegiance to the Second Amendment Takes Deadly Toll

WASHINGTON, April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- States in the South and West
with weak gun laws and high rates of gun ownership lead the nation in overall
firearm death rates according to a new analysis issued today by the Violence
Policy Center (VPC) of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

The new VPC analysis uses 2005 data (the most recent available) from the CDC's
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The analysis reveals that
the five states with the highest per capita gun death rates were Louisiana,
Alaska, Montana, Tennessee, and Alabama. Each of these states had a per capita
gun death rate far exceeding the national per capita gun death rate of 10.32
per 100,000.

By contrast, states with strong gun laws and low rates of gun ownership had
far lower rates of firearm-related death. Ranking last in the nation for gun
death was Hawaii, followed by Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and New
York. (See list below or chart at http://www.vpc.org/press/0804gundeath.htm
for states with the highest and lowest gun death rates. See
http://www.vpc.org/fadeathchart.htm for a ranking of all 50 states.)

States with the Five HIGHEST Per Capita Gun Death Rates

Louisiana--Rank: 1; Household Gun Ownership: 45.6 percent; Gun Death Rate:
19.04 per 100,000.

Alaska--Rank: 2; Household Gun Ownership: 60.6 percent; Gun Death Rate: 17.49
per 100,000.

Montana--Rank: 3; Household Gun Ownership: 61.4 percent; Gun Death Rate: 17.22
per 100,000.

Tennessee--Rank: 4; Household Gun Ownership: 46.4 percent; Gun Death Rate:
16.39 per 100,000.

Alabama--Rank: 5; Household Gun Ownership: 57.2 percent; Gun Death Rate: 16.18
per 100,000.

States with the Five LOWEST Per Capita Gun Death Rates

Hawaii--Rank: 50; Household Gun Ownership: 9.7 percent; Gun Death Rate: 2.20
per 100,000.

Massachusetts--Rank: 49; Household Gun Ownership: 12.8 percent; Gun Death
Rate: 3.48 per 100,000.

Rhode Island--Rank: 48; Household Gun Ownership: 13.3 percent; Gun Death Rate:
3.63 per 100,000.

New Jersey--Rank: 47; Household Gun Ownership: 11.3 percent; Gun Death Rate:
4.99 per 100,000.

New York--Rank: 46; Household Gun Ownership: 18.1 percent; Gun Death Rate:
5.28 per 100,000.

VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, "Blind allegiance to the Second
Amendment comes at a deadly price. Many residents in pro-gun states cheer the
possibility of a June Supreme Court ruling that could place gun controls
across the nation at risk, never realizing that those states stand as proof of
the need for such laws."

The VPC defined states with "weak" gun laws as those that add little or
nothing to federal restrictions and have permissive concealed carry laws
allowing civilians to carry concealed handguns. States with "strong" gun laws
were defined as those that add significant state regulation in addition to
federal law, such as restricting access to particularly hazardous types of
firearms (for example, assault weapons), setting minimum safety standards for
firearms and/or requiring a permit to purchase a firearm, and have restrictive
concealed carry laws.

The Violence Policy Center (www.vpc.org) is a national educational
organization working to stop gun death and injury.

SOURCE Violence Policy Center

Mandy Wimmer, Communications Associate of the Violence Policy Center,
+1-202-822-8200 x110, mwimmer@vpc.org