New analysis shows Mississippi has second highest rate of gun deaths

Mississippi is among states with the highest rate of gun-related deaths, according to the most recent data from the CDC’s Center for Injury Prevention and Control. An analysis from the Violence Policy Center looked at the CDC data from 2019 and found states with higher rates of gun ownership had more gun-related deaths. 

Mississippi ranked the second-highest for firearm deaths, while neighboring Alabama was fifth and Louisiana was sixth. All three states have few gun violence prevention laws. The analysis found states with stricter laws and less gun ownership had lower rates of gun-related deaths.  

“What we want people to understand is the risk of bringing a gun into your home, and that you’re increasing your risk of a homicide within your own family,” said Kristen Rand, the legislative director for Violence Policy Center, a research and advocacy group working to reduce firearm deaths and injuries. 

The data includes gun homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings. Rand says, the risk of suicide also increases significantly once a gun is brought into the home.

Alaska had the most gun-related deaths and Massachusetts had the least.