[quote=svelte][img_assist|nid=26430|title=gun deaths per state|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=466|height=350][/quote]
Not sure where this map is from or what year they used (edited: I see where it’s from, but not the source data or year), but the CDC map (below) tells a different story. Granted, the CDC map is for total homicides (not just limited to “gun deaths”), but I think that total homicide rates matter more to those who are honestly concerned about safety than the “gun death” rate which excludes homicides of other types, and includes suicides, which comprise around two-thirds of the “gun death” rate.
You’ll notice that the states with the lowest homicide rates also have some of the least restrictive gun laws in the U.S., with some of them having effectively no gun laws. (You’ll also notice that some of the states with very high homicide rates have less restrictive gun laws, as well.)
The information regarding gun laws by state can be found here (this is an anti-gun site, so no pro-gun bias here):
You can also see here that homicide and violent crime rates actually increased for a number of years after a number of countries passed their most restrictive gun laws. After around 5 years of a rising trend, the trend declined, but the same declining trend in homicide/violent crime rates was seen in the U.S. as gun ownership and proliferation increased dramatically (and gun bans were not instituted).
FWIW, I think that fully-automatic weapons should be banned across the board. They are designed for indiscriminate killing, and I don’t trust the government with this power any more than I trust some Joe Schmoe with this power. Nobody should have fully automatic weapons.
