This image was removed due to legal reasons.

This may seem obvious.

But in case you had any doubts, there is a clear positive correlation between gun ownership and gun deaths.


University of Southern California professor Richard Green spotted a new report from the Violence Policy Center showing that states with weak gun laws and higher gun ownership lead the nation in gun deaths.

Green asked the group for the raw data for all states, and came up with the following chart:

This image was removed due to legal reasons.


Alaska had the highest rate of gun deaths, at 19.59 per 100,000. Its gun ownership rate was 60.6 percent. Wyoming had the highest rate of gun ownership, at 62.8 percent, and had a gun death rate of 17.51 per 100,000.

Hawaii had the lowest rates for both categories, followed by Massachusetts.

"Time and time again, we find that states with strong gun laws and low rates of gun ownership have the lowest gun death rates in the nation," said Avery Palmer, communications director for the Violence Prevention Center. "Looking back to 2005, four of the five states with the lowest gun death rates were the same as in 2013: Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. Also in 2005, three of the five states with the highest gun death rates were the same as in 2013: Louisiana, Alaska, and Alabama."

"No comment necessary," Green wrote.

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.