Does Nevada have the highest per capita gun violence of any state?
By Austin Tannenbaum
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NO
Nevada has above-average gun violence, but it is not the worst among states.
In 2020, Nevada ranked 18th for firearm mortality per capita at 17 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For context, Mississippi’s rate was the highest at 28.6 per 100,000, and Hawaii’s was the lowest at 3.4 per 100,000.
Nevada also ranked high in previous years:
- In 2019, it ranked 15th, with a rate of 15.3 per 100,000.
- In 2018, it ranked 10th, with a rate of 17.9 per 100,000.
- In 2017, it ranked 14th, with a rate of 16.7 per 100,000.
- In 2016, it ranked 15th, with a rate of 16.8 per 100,000.
Around 500 people die by guns in Nevada each year — about a third from homicide and two thirds from suicide.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control Firearm mortality by state
Everytown for Gun Safety Gun violence in Nevada
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