ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

As of 2026, * was the state with the highest gun violence rate in the United States, at **** fatalities per 100,000 residents. It was followed by , at ** fatalities per 100,000 residents. In comparison, Hawaii had a gun violence rate of *** deaths per 100,000 residents, the lowest out of all the states. Over the past decade, there were over * homicides by firearm in the U.S. each year.

The importance of gun laws

Gun laws in the United States vary from state to state. Notably, strickter gun laws have been associated with a lower death rate by gun violence. In addition, some states suffer from high rates of gun violence despite having strong gun safety laws due to gun trafficking, as traffickers can distribute firearms illegally past state lines.

The right to bear arms

Many U.S. voters remain reluctant to enact gun control laws. This can largely be attributed to the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which asserts citizens right to bear arms. Consequently, gun control has become a highly partisan issue in the U.S., with ** percent of Democrats believing that it was more important to limit gun ownership, while ** percent of Republicans felt that it was more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns.