Gun crime statistics by US state

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/sep/17/gun-crime-statistics-by-us-state

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The murder of at least 12 people on Monday stood out from the growing catalogue of US gun shootings, partly because it took place on a US naval base. But another reason why it shocked so many was that Washington has one of the lowest gun crime rates in the US - there were 106 homicides with firearms there in 2012 compared to the 1,304 that took place in California.

The latest statistics from the FBI show that the number of murders by firearm increased in 2012 - putting an end to four consecutive years of declining numbers.

But not all firearm murders are increasing - rifles and shotguns have fallen since 2011 while handguns have increased for two years running.

There are also big regional variations as our interactive map shows. With 1,879 deaths in 2012, California has the highest number of murders anywhere in the US - and perhaps unsurprisingly, the highest number of murders by firearm too (1,304).

The lowest numbers were recorded in Alabama (1 firearm murder), Vermont (2) and Guam where there were none in 2012.

Gun ownership globally: US ranks first, ahead of Yemen

From an international perspective, the US clearly has a problem - despite having less than 5% of the world's population, it has roughly 35-50% of the world's civilian-owned guns.

The United States has 88 firearms per 100 people. Yemen, the second highest gun ownership country in the world has 54.8. The third and fourth biggest countries may also come as a surprise - Switzerland (45.7) and Finland (45.3).

As a percentage of all murders, firearms are the most deadly in places like Puerto Rico and Sierra Leone where they account for 95% and 88% of homicides. The US also slides down the global rankings when homicide by firearm victims are looked at per 100,000 of the population - the figure is 2.97 for the United States, in stark contrast to Jamaica's 39.4 per 100,000 or Honduras's 68.43.

Do you think the national data highlights a problem? Or maybe you think the international numbers show the US is managing its vast numbers of firearms well. Share your views in the comments below.

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