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Law enforcement work to improve state's gun ranking
Published Friday, June 19, 2009
Alabama is ranked second in the nation for the number of gun deaths per capita and a majority of households in the state have guns, according to a study by the Violence Policy Center.
The five states topping the list were Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi and Nevada, according to the study, which looked at states that have high gun ownership along with what it categorized as weak gun laws.
The Violence Policy Center defined states with “weak” gun laws as those that add little or nothing to federal restrictions and have permissive concealed carry laws, allowing civilians to carry concealed handguns.
In states with that definition, gun death rates far exceed the national rate of 10.32 per 100,000 residents, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
Alabama’s rate was 16.99.
It showed that in Alabama, which had a 2006 population of nearly 4.6 million, there were 780 gun-related deaths, including 400 suicides and 333 homicides.
Maplesville Chief of Police Todd Ingram said oftentimes gun-related injuries and deaths are fueled by domestic violence.
Ingram said that more urban areas such as Birmingham deal with gun violence on a daily basis, but the town of Maplesville does not often experience gun-related incidents.
Ingram had some tips to help prevent accidental gun injuries.
“Be a responsible firearms owner,” Ingram said. “You want to keep it locked up in a closet.”
Ingram said sometimes children are fascinated with firearms and want to handle guns out of curiosity, which can lead to disaster. He said education is a key part of ensuring gun safety.
“If they’re brought up around it and taught the proper rules, they respect them more,” Ingram said.
Ingram said the police department has provided gun locks in the past to citizens wanting extra safety measures.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments
Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on June 20, 2009 at 12:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I do believe there are politicians who want to take our rights, including gun rights. I also feel the biggest contributor to gun tragedies is ignorance.
Most all of us around ehre were brought up with guns around. Dad taught me gun safety and very strict discipline in their use. I passed that on to my sons. Any one of them can hit any target you choose and they have the utmost respect for guns.
Yes, it is a cliche but it is true nonetheless - guns do not kill people, people kill people. If I so desired I could kill someone just as easily and quickly with an ink pen as with a gun. So do not tell me we need more gun laws. Laws are only effective with those inclined to obey the law. Criminals will find ways to get what they want regardless of the laws in place.
I will continue to use and enjoy guns responsibly, for target shooting competition and for putting meat in the freezer. And, of course, for self defense if need be.
Posted by Care4GodsEarth (anonymous) on June 20, 2009 at 6:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think every citizen should have firearms training in order to procure a gun owner's permit. I think you should have driver's training before you can drive a car. I think you should have specialized training to drive an 18 wheeler, or wire a house.
I think there is a reason that we rate so high in gun deaths and I think it's Ignorance and rebel attitude. I believe in responsible, educated, gun ownership as a right.
Posted by getbizi (anonymous) on June 20, 2009 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Including our own, 3 of the 5 named states above are among the least educated according to statistical measures. Like it or not, we have the redneck image, second only to Mississippi. This story only contributes to that derogatory inage. I do believe, however, that the majority of gun crimes are commited by blacks in urban, low-income areas. This is not hyberbole, but a fact. We have allowed for the "thug" mentality to override common sense and decency.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on June 20, 2009 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you'll notice, the majority of gun deaths were from suicide. That has nothing to do with republican/democrat, liberal/conservative, or southern states/redneck. That has to do with people that for various reasons, usually known only to them, are tired of being here and ready to move on. Does it matter if they killed themselves with a gun rather than a butter knife? I don't think so. It also doesn't matter if someome murders someone else with a baseball bat vs. a gun, dead is DEAD! I'm sure it is true that in Alabama most households have guns in them, but most people don't carry guns even though we can in Alabama with proper documentation. I'm not in favor of everybody carrying guns because lots of folks are just too plain stupid to safely carry a gun, but I wish more of the responsible people that were brought up learning how to safely use and carry guns would carry them. The thugs MIGHT be a little less likely to rob people and stores if they thought Mr. or Mrs. Doe was armed.
Posted by gjdagis (anonymous) on June 21, 2009 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It is very important to note the demographics of Alabama. Since the state has a rather large proportion of blacks it could be this factor, rather than the availability of guns that skews the figures since blacks commit crimes at a much higher rate.
Posted by REK1138 (anonymous) on June 21, 2009 at 2:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No surprise, another biased report presenting raw statistics as some kind of oracle in the woes of our culture being used as a call to, you guessed it, more legislation which equates to more power for the government, less for the people. Should also come as no surprise that these reports are starting to pour out of the leftist so-called think tanks at a time when their like minded ilk control congress and the white house. Timing is everything and now is the critical moment to drive fourth their legislative solutions and consolidate power among the new and empowered Bourgeois. They gonna save us all!
The actions of Senator Boxer (D-CA) should make it glaringly apparent that these people have no respect for our military just as they have no respect for our national traditions nor the founding principals upon which this country they exploit so cheerily was built. The men who gave their lives to make our nation possible understood the necessity of having an armed populace that could, if nothing else, keep the government in check. This government will tolerate no checking from the masses.
Posted by luckyme (anonymous) on June 21, 2009 at 4:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The very beginning of the story shows the biased of the study. The study did NOT cover all 50 states. It says the study only "looked at states that have high gun ownership along with what it categorized as weak gun laws."
Maybe someone with better search skills than myself can look it up, but this study did not include CA, IL, and NY. I don't know what their "gun safety rating" is, would be interesting to find out how it compares.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on June 21, 2009 at 8:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not speaking for steve42, but I suspect that he was talking not about The Advertiser's story, but rather the report of Violence Policy Center. And I agree with his comments completely.
Posted by Care4GodsEarth (anonymous) on June 22, 2009 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is the ranking of all 50 states:
http://www.vpc.org/fadeathchart09.htm
I wish the Clantonadvertiser had printed this along with the story. This study showed that the number of deaths per capita is higher among states with leaner laws. To explain away the larger numbers as: suicides, or black crime sounds like some folks think it's ok because other folks just really don't count as much if they die.
In looking at the states that are thought of as high crime:
NY 5.2
IL 8.11
All much lower than the 16.99 of Alabama.
Our number is awful. It's embarrassing.
Truly there are people who should not own guns. And a whole lot of them are in Alabama.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on June 22, 2009 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There are even more people than that who should not be allowed to drive. They are FAR more dangerous with a vehicle than they might be with a gun, but driving is a PRIVILEDGE and most never have their priviledge taken away, yet you seem to be willing to strip a Constitutional RIGHT. Purely amazing.
You are right, though, about one thing. There are some people who should not own guns. But it's NOT the average law-abiding citizen. It's the criminal that in most cases is already forbidden to have a gun. Of course, a criminal wouldn't care about that, so would you prefer that the rest of us have to give up our guns? What would you do about the criminals that have guns?
Posted by Care4GodsEarth (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 5:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why are Alabama citizens killing themselves and others at such a high rate compared to almost every other state? What is going on here that is 2 or 3 times worse than some of the other states? With our guns, why is it less safe to be an Alabamian than a New Yorker ?
With our Right to our Freedom of Speech, it has often been stated that you cannot yell "Fire" in a crowded movie theater. You can't talk about top secret stuff with our enemies. You can't give away trade secrets. You can't make up lies about your neighbor.
You can protect a right without taking it away from "the real people that are law abiding".
Posted by steve42 (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
November said "Not speaking for steve42, but I suspect that he was talking not about The Advertiser's story, but rather the report of Violence Policy Center. And I agree with his comments completely."
Thanks for speaking up, Nov, but you have me confused with someone else. I haven't commented on this subject until now.
What we need is a few more gun laws. That should do the trick!
Seriously, it comes down to education. Uneducated people who don't know how to deal with conflict will resort to their basest instincts: fight or flight. Get a little liquid courage in them and then they charge headlong into the situation, guns a-blazing, and this is what you get.
Posted by kittycreek (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is a bit off the topic, but is anyone else in the Verbena/Coopers area having trouble with coyotes? I think my nice (gun owning/hunting) neighbors used to keep them cleared out, but, we've lost 7 outdoor kitties in the last month. They've just been disappearing. My family and I are very broken hearted about it. We can't figure out what must be happening to them unless it's coyotes.
Posted by eagle1 (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 12:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think the UFO'S are back, kitty.
Posted by getbizi (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 4:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We need more restrictions and enforcement on automobiles. They kill more people than guns. The most horrific serial killers in history rarely used guns. Andre Chikotilo (spelling?) in the Soviet Union killed dozens in a country that keeps its citizenry unarmed.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 4:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
steve42: Sorry 'bout that. I don't know what I was thinking at the time that made me think you were the one being sort of berated on the subject. Must be sunspot activity! :D
Posted by getbizi (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 5:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All of the states mentioned are pro-republican states with republican governors. Think this is a super secret left wing ploy to take guns away by democrats?.......................Just a response to this goofy statement.. The 5 most murderous cities in the U.S., Detroit, Baltimore, N.O., Newark, and St. Louis are all controlled by Democratic mayors.
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