Report: Alaska firearm deaths highest rate in US in 2016
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – New figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Alaska had the highest rate of firearm deaths in the nation in 2016.
The Juneau Empire reported Thursday that there were 177 firearm-related deaths in Alaska in 2016. That’s a rate of about 23 firearm deaths per 100,000 residents, which is nearly double the national average of 12 per 100,000 residents.
The figures show 113 of Alaska’s firearm-related deaths were suicides, while 51 were considered homicides or justified killings.
Figures for 2017 are not yet available. The final results for 2016 show the nation’s firearm death rate has risen each year since 2014.
Alaska’s 2016 rate is only slightly higher than it was in 2015.
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