Michigan Gun Deaths Outpace Motor Vehicle Deaths For 3rd Straight Year
DETROIT (WWJ) - New research shows more people have died in Michigan from shootings than car accidents for the third year in a row.
In 2011, the most recent year for which comprehensive nationwide data was available, Michigan recorded 1,156 gun deaths and 1,016 motor vehicle deaths, according to an analysis from the Violence Policy Center.
Gun deaths include gun suicides, homicides and fatal unintentional shootings; motor vehicle deaths include both occupants and pedestrians.
Michigan is among 13 other states where the number of shooting deaths is higher than the amount of deaths caused by car accidents.
This is the third year the center has issued its annual report comparing gun deaths to motor vehicle deaths by state. Previous reports found there were more gun deaths than motor vehicle deaths in Michigan both in 2009 and 2010.
More than 90 percent of American households own a car, while little more than a third of American households have a gun, according to researchers. Americans' exposure to motor vehicles vastly outweighs their exposure to firearms. Yet in 2011, there were 32,351 gun deaths and 35,543 motor vehicle deaths nationwide. In 1999, there were 28,874 gun deaths and 42,624 motor vehicle deaths nationwide.
Here are figures for each of the 14 states and the District of Columbia:
Alaska: 126 gun deaths, 87 motor vehicle deaths
Arizona: 964 gun deaths, 872 motor vehicle deaths
Colorado: 573 gun deaths, 512 motor vehicle deaths
District of Columbia: 86 gun deaths, 39 motor vehicle deaths
Illinois: 1,114 gun deaths, 1,080 motor vehicle deaths
Louisiana: 865 gun deaths, 750 motor vehicle deaths
Maryland: 542 gun deaths, 517 motor vehicle deaths
Michigan: 1,156 gun deaths, 1,016 motor vehicle deaths
Nevada: 376 gun deaths, 281 motor vehicle deaths
Ohio: 1,227 gun deaths, 1,178 motor vehicle deaths
Oregon: 420 gun deaths, 371 motor vehicle deaths
Utah: 308 gun deaths, 277 motor vehicle deaths
Vermont: 78 gun deaths, 62 motor vehicle deaths
Virginia: 868 gun deaths, 816 motor vehicle deaths
Washington: 624 gun deaths, 554 motor vehicle deaths
Click here to see the full study results (.pdf format)
