LITTLE ROCK — A recent newspaper analysis shows that Arkansas residents die by gunfire at a rate higher than 43 other states, but state lawmakers aren’t considering weapons restrictions.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Arkansas’ gun-death rate was 16 per 100,000 people from 1999 through 2016. The newspaper examined 17 years of federal mortality data to determine if lower gun-death rates correlated with the existence of five laws experts say could reduce gun violence.
The analysis shows the four states with the lowest gun-death rates have enacted at least one of the laws, which include background checks, waiting periods, safe storage, reporting lost or stolen guns and allowing temporary gun seizures from people considered a threat.
State records show Arkansas lawmakers haven’t filed one bill in the past decade requiring universal background checks or waiting periods.
