Which Areas Have The Highest Percentage of Gun Violence?

Unfortunately, gun violence has become predominant in the United States. As per data by the Pew Research Center, 44% of Americans know someone who has been shot. According to a poll by ABC News/Washington Post in September 2019, six in ten Americans fear that a mass shooting will happen in their community.

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Between 2008 and 2017, there were over 342,439 deaths/dead people due to gun violence, which means that a person is killed in the country every 15 minutes. However, this gun violence crisis is not the same across the country as the rates and character of violence varies by state. While some states (like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) have higher rates of gun homicides, a few other states (like Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska) have higher rates of gun-related suicides. Below are the 50 US states that had the highest percentage of gun violence between 2008 and 2017:

1) Alaska

2) Louisiana

3) Alabama

4) Mississippi

5) Montana

6) Wyoming

7) Arkansas

8) Oklahoma

9) New Mexico

10) Tennessee

11) Missouri

12) South Carolina

13) West Virginia

14) Nevada

15) Kentucky

16) Arizona

17) Georgia

18) Idaho

19) Florida

20) North Carolina

21) Indiana

22) Colorado

23) Kansas

24) Oregon

25) Michigan

26) Utah

27) Pennsylvania

28) Texas

29) North Dakota

30) Ohio

31) Virginia

32) Vermont

33) Maryland

34) Delaware

35) South Dakota

36) Maine

37) Washington

38) Illinois

39) Wisconsin

40) Nebraska

41) New Hampshire

42) California

43) Iowa

44) Minnesota

45) Connecticut

46) New Jersey

47) New York

48) Rhode Island

49) Massachusetts

50) Hawaii

As observed, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Hawaii had the lowest gun death rates (less than five) per every 100,000 people. In 2018, St. Louis, Missouri, had the most number of gun-related deaths—9.1 per 10,000 people. This city has been plagued by violent crime for a long time. However, over the last few years, Florida has emerged as a hotspot for gun violence, which is quite alarming and requires immediate attention.

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