Gun Laws vs Homicide Rate

Zion Patriot,

Based on 2020 Data

Rank by Murder Rate State or Territory Murder Victims Murder Rates
(per 100,000 people)		 Gun Laws Grade
1 New Hampshire 12 0.9 F
2 Maine 22 1.6 F
3 Vermont 14 2.2 C-
4 Idaho 41 2.2 F
5 Massachusetts 160 2.3 A-
6 Hawaii 41 2.9 A-
7 Oregon 125 2.9 C+
8 Rhode Island 32 3.0 B+
9 Utah 102 3.1 D
10 Wyoming 18 3.1 F
11 Kansas 100 3.4 F
12 Minnesota 190 3.4 C+
13 Iowa 111 3.5 C-
14 Nebraska 69 3.6 C
15 New Jersey 329 3.7 A
16 Connecticut 140 3.9 A-
17 Washington 301 3.9 B+
18 New York 808 4.2 A-
19 North Dakota 32 4.2 F
20 South Dakota 40 4.5 F
21 Montana 54 5.0 F
22 Colorado 294 5.1 C+
23 Wisconsin 308 5.3 C-
24 California 2,203 5.6 A
25 Nevada 180 5.7 C+
26 Florida 1,290 5.9 C-
27 Virginia 524 6.1 D
28 West Virginia 117 6.6 F
29 Texas 1,931 6.6 F
30 Alaska 49 6.7 F
31 Arizona 513 6.9 F
32 Ohio 820 7.0 D
33 Kentucky 323 7.2 F
34 Delaware 73 7.4 B
35 Oklahoma 296 7.4 F
36 Indiana 505 7.5 D-
37 Michigan 754 7.6 C
38 New Mexico 164 7.8 C
39 Pennsylvania 1,009 7.9 C+
40 North Carolina 852 8.0 D
41 Georgia 943 8.8 F
42 Illinois 1,151 9.1 A-
43 Maryland 553 9.1 A-
44 Alabama 471 9.6 F
45 Tennessee 663 9.6 D-
46 South Carolina 549 10.5 F
47 Mississippi 315 10.6 F
48 Arkansas 321 10.6 F
49 Missouri 723 11.8 F
50 Louisiana 734 15.8 F

Sources:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/strictest-gun-laws-by-state
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s
https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend

Observations

Of the top 10 states with the lowest gun deaths per 100,000 people:

  • 2 States have a grade of “A-“
  • 1 State has a grade of “B+”
  • 2 States have grades of “C+” and “C-“
  • 1 State has a grade of “D”
  • 4 States have a grade of “F”

Of the bottom 10 states with the Highest gun deaths per 100,000 people:

  • 2 States have a grade of “A-“
  • 1 State has a grade of “D-“
  • 7 States have a grade of “F”

Total states by Grade:

  • A or A-: 8 States
  • B+ to B-: 3 States
  • C+ to C-: 12 States
  • D+ to D-: 6 States
  • F: 21 States

Gun control proponents are quick to point out that 6 of the 10 states with the highest gun death rates have some of the most relaxed gun laws (C- or lower), and therefore, we need stricter gun laws in order to make our country safer.

If stricter gun laws really did work, then why is it that only 4 states have a grade of “C+” or better out of the top 10 states? Half of the states in the top 10 have a grade of D or F. What is worse is that you don’t get a state with an “A-” until number 5 on the list. The 10 states with the lowest gun deaths should all be states with a grade of “A” or “A-“.

What this really should tell us is that the issue is not guns or lack of gun regulation. If that were the case than all 21 of the states with a gun law grade of “F” should be in the bottom half of the list. We should focus on why some states have lower gun deaths than others and implement where possible the things that make those states safer.

One frequently cited example is Chicago, where they have some of the strictest gun laws in the country, yet hundreds of people are killed with guns there every year. Some point to the surrounding areas of Chicago and say the problem is those areas because of less restrictive gun laws. However, those same areas do not have the gun violence issues seen in Chicago. We know that Chicago has a very serious gang problem and that the vast majority of the gun deaths are due to gang violence. Why not focus on fixing the gang problem rather than disarming the law abiding citizens.

Statistics