Map Shows US States With Highest Firearm Mortality Rate; How Does Gun-Related Violence Affect a Person’s Mental Health?

Personal injury lawyer Scott Vicknair unveils the data showing the rate of gun deaths across all U.S. states.

America's Gun Violence by the Numbers

According to the new report, Mississippi has the highest rate of firearm-related deaths of any U.S. state, with a gun death rate per capita at 18.23 deaths per 100,000 people. This gives Mississippi the highest mortality from firearms relative to the population, followed by Louisiana, Alabama, New Mexico, and Missouri.

In 2022, Mississippi had 536 gun deaths across a population of 2.9 million. Meanwhile, the second-highest rate of deaths was achieved by Louisiana, with 759 deaths over a population of 4.6 million in 2022.

At a rate of 12.67 deaths per 100,000, Alacama comes 3rd with a total number of deaths at 643 across 5 million people. Meanwhile, New Mexico got the fourth spot with a smaller population of 2.1 million, 250 deaths, and a gun rate of 11.83 per 100,000 population.

Among the top five states, Missouri has the largest population at 6.1 million but has the lowest gun death rate per capita at 10.81 per 100,000 population. This indicates that although the absolute number of deaths is high, the issue is less intense on a per capita basis compared to the other states.

The ten U.S. states with the lowest rate of gun deaths per population were Maine at 0.94 gun deaths per 100,000 people, Hawaii at 1.04, Rhode Island at 1.28, New Hampshire at 1.29, Idaho at 1.34, Utah at 1.42, Massachusetts at 1.50, Wyoming at 1.72, Iowa at 1.75, and Vermont at 2.01.

In some states, there is a much higher total number of deaths from guns, but they have lower rates per capita because of their larger populations. These include Illinois with 1,106, Florida with 1,236, Texas with 1,973, and California with 1,772.

According to Vicknair's spokesperson, some states can be more or less accepting than others with guns in the U.S. Many states featured in the list are in the south of the country, and the difference between the states in first and tenth on the list is concerning.

The data shows a sum of 20,254 deaths across all U.S. states in 2022. This does not include people who used firearms to end their own lives.

Gun Violence and Mental Health

The U.S. ranks 20th worldwide for firearm mortality, constituting half of the world's firearm deaths, along with 5 South American countries. According to Mental Health America, 60% of gun-related deaths in the country were suicides, while the remaining 37% were murders.

Experts argue that exposure to violent events can cause trauma and lasting changes in the nervous systems of both children and adults. It was reported that almost 50% of Americans suffer from a mental illness at any point in their lifetime, and these individuals are usually victims of violence.

Depression remains to be the leading cause of disability worldwide. It should also be noted that the majority of people who suffer from mental illness are not violent since 95-97% of homicidal gun violence is not carried out by persons with a mental illness.

However, suicide is often linked to depression and remains the number 10 cause of death in adults across the U.S. This means that if mental illness were removed from the list, then gun violence in the U.S. would be reduced to only 4%.