The 10 trigger-happiest states in America
Story: Where gun violence is concentrated: It's not where you might think
Louisiana
Louisiana doesn't just lead the nation in gun killings, it's No. 1 with a bullet: 8.8 firearm murders per 100,000 residents were reported in 2011, roughly double the number of the next-highest state. Louisiana's gun laws are also extremely permissive. The Brady Center gives it 2 points on its rating of the scope of state gun laws, making it tied for 47th in the country on gun control. Coincidence? You decide.
Above: Revelers party on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. |
Comments (25)
Add / View comments | Discussion FAQIts very simple we all have the right to defend our selves, more even is the fact that it is our moral obligation! Everyone's Moral and ethical Obligation!! When you rely on someone else to protect you, you become a subject to their whim's.
'Gun killing' could be both by homicide or suicide. Suicides account for roughly half of all gun deaths.
Mostly these are states of the Old Confederacy. It has long been known that cultural conditions in the South encouraged a violent response to real or imagined grievances--this goes clear back to the old Code Duello. An, of course, consider that most gun violence is perpetrated by males--it's considered an empowerment and a proof of manhood to pack a weapon. Many men see guns as powerful phallic symbols--it's truly a psychological problem and a component that leads many of them to murderous outbursts. The only answer to reducing gun violence is tighter gun restriction and more spending on mental health counseling. We should also take a look at how boys are being raised and teach them that resorting to violence is not a "manly" behavior.
