Louisiana ranks second in gun deaths involving children across the country

Could weaker gun laws increase higher rates of gun deaths, including homicides, suicides and accidental killings?

Every year an average of 575 people in Louisiana die in gun homicides and 1,056 are wounded ingun assaults—a rate of 12.9 homicides and 22.7 assaults per 100,000 people.

States with the lowest rates of overall gun death in the nation are those with strong gun violence prevention laws and low rates of gun ownership according to Violence Policy Center analysis reports from the CDC. The state with the highest gun death rate in 2021 was Mississippi, followed by Louisiana, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Alabama.

Every town, a leading non-profit organization reported, both New Orleans and Baton Rouge are routinely among the most dangerous cities nationwide and yet the state does not allow local officials to pass basic public safety protections.

A study conducted by the non-profit organization compared gun policy across 50 states and found a direct correlation between states with weaker gun laws and gun violence. Based on the study, access to a firearm drastically increases the likelihood of suicide, and a gun in the home is associated with more gun homicide.

In Louisiana, 43% of gun deaths are suicides and 55% are homicides. The number of people with concealed carry permits more than tripled with four-in-ten U.S. adults saying they live in a household with a gun, according to a Pew Research study conducted in June 2021. Personal protection tops the list of reasons why gun owners say they own a firearm. Until 2005, the right to use deadly force in self-defense was restricted then Florida state legislature passed the first stand-your-ground law, and other states followed.

Over 25 states have enacted some form of stand-your-ground laws, including Louisiana in 2006. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence reported the passage of stand-your-ground laws was linked to an 8% increase in the number of homicides, translating to an additional 600 homicides annually across states that adopted stand-your-ground laws.

Tuesday Louisiana advanced House Bill 131 that would allow Louisiana adults 18 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a license.

More:Louisiana lawmaker whose granddaughter wields AR-15 advances bill to expand gun rights