New York State’s gun death rate declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2013, and the state now has the third lowest gun death rate in the country, according to a new report by the Violence Policy Center (VPC).
New York’s gun death rate is 4.39 per 100,000 people–down from 4.99 in 2012–is less than half the nation’s average of 10.64.
The VPC’s analysis (of data from the CDC) shows that states like New York with strong gun violence prevention laws and lower rates of gun ownership have the country’s lowest overall gun death rates. Conversely, states with high rates of gun ownership and weak gun violence prevention laws have the highest overall gun death rates. (See table below.)
NY SAFE Act Enacted in 2013
“The improvement in New York’s gun death rate shows that our strong gun safety laws are saving lives by making our communities safer,” said Leah Gunn Barrett, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV). In 2013, New York was the first state to strengthen its gun laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December 2012. A bipartisan legislature enacted and Governor Cuomo signed the NY SAFE Act on January 15, 2013.
With the NY SAFE Act, New York requires such common sense measures as background checks on all gun and ammunition sales, a ban on military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazines, five year recertification of gun permits, and enhanced protections for victims of domestic violence.
| Rank | State | Household Gun Ownership | Gun Death Rate per 100,000 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 9.7 percent | 2.71 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 12.8 percent | 3.18 |
| 48 | New York | 18.1 percent | 4.39 |
| 47 | Connecticut | 16.2 percent | 4.48 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | 13.3 percent | 5.33 |
| Rank | State | Household Gun Ownership | Gun Death Rate per 100,000 |
| 1 | Alaska | 60.6 percent | 19.59 |
| 2 | Louisiana | 45.6 percent | 19.15 |
| 3 | Alabama | 57.2 percent | 17.79 |
| 4 | Mississippi | 54.3 percent | 17.55 |
| 5 | Wyoming | 62.8 percent | 17.51 |
Learn more:
- NYAGV Press Release, “New York State has 3rd Lowest Gun Death Rate in the Country,” 1/29/15
- State Firearm Death Rates, 2013, Violence Policy Center, 1/29/15
