In the wake of the recent Isla Vista atrocity, a lot of emotional rhetoric is being tossed around (This is known as Dancing in the Blood of the Dead or simply Blood Dancing). What is missing are some real numbers -- which comes as no surprise to me. In 2011, the Brady Campaign rated California as the number one state for gun control with a score of 81. At the opposite end of the list set Alaska, Arizona and Utah, each with with a score of 0. The rankings are available here (PDF) .
If the Brady assertion that more gun control means less "gun violence" is really true, then the difference should be evident in the relative statistics for the extremes. From the FBI Uniform Crime Report :
| State | Gun Murders | Population | Rate per 100K |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,220 | 38.0 Million | 3.2 | Utah | 26 | 2.85 Million | 0.91 |
| Arizona | 222 | 6.55 Million | 3.4 | Alaska | 16 | 0.730 Million | 2.2 |
Compared to Utah, California is a veritable axis of gun murders. Even when Arizona and Alaska are factored in, California still doesn't look like the peaceful paradise its strict gun laws are supposed to make of it. Obviously the Brady equation needs work. Or, maybe they should just change their name to something more honest like The Brady Campaign to Promote Gun Violence.
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