Missouri has fifth highest gun death rate, new study says. Where does Kansas come in?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri has the fifth highest gun death rate in the nation, according to a study published Tuesday by the Violence Policy Center.

The organization, which works to reduce gun violence and supports gun regulation, analyzed numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2022, the most recent year data was available.

Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico and Alabama topped the list, which included homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Rhode Island had the lowest gun death rates.

Kansas ranked 20th.

More than 48,200 people were killed by gunfire in 2022, the Violence Policy Center said.

The organization linked gun ownership and looser gun laws with higher rates of firearm deaths. For example, Mississippi’s gun ownership rate was 55.8% and Missouri’s was 48.8%, whereas Rhode Island sat at 14.8%.

States that restricted access to assault weapons, placed restrictions on open and concealed carrying in public, and required permits tended to have lower rates of gun deaths, the center also found.

Since permit-to-purchase was removed in 2007, Missouri’s gun death rate increased 58% by 2019, according to a Star analysis of state firearms death figures.

That was coupled with a 2016 measure that repealed a state requirement for a permit to conceal carry and included Stand Your Ground language.

Kansas City has been plagued by gun violence in recent years. Last year was the deadliest year on record for homicides, the vast majority of which were committed with a firearm.

So far this year, 47 people have died in homicides in Kansas City. A firearm was used in 89% of the killings, according to data from the Kansas City Police Department. Four children, ages 11 to 17, were killed in gun homicides, data tracked by The Star shows.

The mass shooting after the Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally on Valentine’s Day left 25 people shot, including several children. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a Johnson County mother, was killed.