Special Report
10 States With the Most Gun Violence
June 10, 2015 9:41 am
Last Updated: June 10, 2015 9:58 am
10. Tennessee
> 2013 firearm death rate: 15.4 per 100,000
> Total firearm deaths 2004-2013: 9,568 (11th highest)
> Violent crime rate: 590.6 (4th highest)
> Permit required to buy handgun: No
> Poverty rate: 17.8% (12th highest)
There were more than 1,000 gun-related deaths — including homicide, suicide, and accidents — in Tennessee in 2013, or 15.4 deaths per 100,000 residents, the 10th highest rate in the country. Overall crime rates were also quite high, with 590.6 violent crimes reported per 100,000 people, far more than the nearly 368 reported crimes for every 100,000 Americans. Additionally, less than 25% of adults in the state had at least a bachelor’s degree, less than the 29.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree across the nation.
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9. New Mexico
> 2013 firearm death rate: 15.4 per 100,000
> Total firearm deaths 2004-2013: 2,983 (19th lowest)
> Violent crime rate: 613.0 (2nd highest)
> Permit required to buy handgun: No
> Poverty rate: 21.9% (2nd highest)
Like most states across the country, the largest proportion of gun-related deaths in New Mexico was attributable to suicide. The age-adjusted firearm suicide rate of 10.3 per 100,000 was the ninth highest rate in the country. New Mexico also had the highest death rate by legal intervention — deaths caused by police or other law enforcement officials — in the country. In general, New Mexico residents were exposed to a large number of crimes. The state reported 613 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, the second highest rate in the country. Low education levels and widespread poverty may partly explain the high gun violence and deaths. Nearly 22% of New Mexico’s population lived in poverty, substantially higher than the national poverty rate of 15.8%. Additionally, only 84.3% of adults had at least a high school diploma, the sixth lowest rate in the country.
8. Oklahoma
> 2013 firearm death rate: 16.5 per 100,000
> Total firearm deaths 2004-2013: 5,352 (23rd highest)
> Violent crime rate: 441.2 (12th highest)
> Permit required to buy handgun: No
> Poverty rate: 16.8% (16th highest)
Gun-related homicides and suicides were both relatively high in Oklahoma. At least 433 Oklahomans, or 11.1 per 100,000, took their own life with a gun, the sixth highest rate in the country. There were 4.8 gun-related homicides per 100,000 residents, the 10th highest rate nationwide. Like all of the states with the most gun violence, Oklahoma also does not require a permit to purchase a rifle, shotgun, or handgun. Additionally, Oklahoma households were among the poorest in the country with an annual median income of $45,690.
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