Here's another.....
http://www.al.com/news/index.s...eath_rate_jumps.html
The number of people killed by gunfire in Alabama increased by 22 percent in a seven-year period, according to a report released today by the Violence Policy Center.
In 2016, Alabama's gunfire death rate was the second-highest in the United States, with 21.51 fatalities per 100,000 people, according to the Center. That rate was up 22 percent from 2009 when there were 17.63 gunfire deaths per 100,000 people.
Gun deaths in Alabama increased more during the seven-year period than in the U.S. overall. The number of people killed by gunfire in the U.S. increased by 17 percent, according to the report.
The report is an analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention. The gunfire deaths included in the statistics are homicides, suicides and accidental shootings.
The only state with a higher rate of gunfire deaths than Alabama is Alaska, where there were 23.86 fatalities per 100,00 people, according to the report. Massachusetts had the lowest rate of gunfire deaths, with 3.55 per 100,000 people, the report shows.
The report links an increase in gunfire deaths to a 2008 Supreme Court case, District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the justices affirmed the rights of people to have pistols in their homes for self-defense.
However, the report shows that not all states saw an increase in gun deaths. In Rhode Island, gunfire deaths decreased by nearly 13 percent during that time period. The study links states with fewer gunfire deaths to lower rates of firearm ownership and stricter legislation. In Rhode Island, for example, there are guns in about 16 percent of households, the study shows. While, in states like Alabama and Alaska, about half or more of households have guns.
The Violence Policy Center, of Washington D.C., researches and advocates for stricter gun legislation. It was founded in 1988 by Executive Director Josh Sugarmann, a native of Newtown, Connecticut.