Gun deaths outnumbered motor vehicle deaths in 21 states in 2014

In 2014 the number of gun deaths outnumbered motor vehicle deaths in 21 states and Washington, D.C., states a report from the Violence Policy Center using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number is significantly higher than in 2005, when only Maryland and Alaska had more gun deaths than motor vehicle deaths, Christoper Ingraham and Caroyln Johnson report for The Washington Post. "The trend was driven largely by the sharp drop in the rate of traffic fatalities, a result of a series of laws and safety measures aimed at making driving safer." While gun homicide rates are down, suicides account for two-thirds of all gun-related deaths.

Alaska had the biggest disparity, with 19.68 gun deaths per every 100,000 people, compared to 11.81 motor vehicle deaths per every 100,000 people, states the report. Utah had 11.45 gun deaths per every 100,000 people, compared to 8.87 motor vehicle deaths, and Vermont had 11.01 gun deaths compared to 7.82 motor vehicle deaths. Of the 21 states, Georgia (1,391) and Pennsylvania (1,390) had the highest number of overall gun deaths, and Louisiana was second behind Alaska, with 19.27 gun deaths per every 100,000 people. Louisiana also had the highest number of motor vehicle deaths—17.36 per every 100,000 people—of the 21 states. (Violence Policy Center graphic)

Utah has one of the nation's highest suicide rates, accounting for 87 percent of gun-related deaths from 2009-2013, reports Matt Canham for The Salt Lake Tribune. The national average of gun-related suicide deaths in 2013 was 63 percent. Utah's gun-related deaths are up from 9.34 per every 100,000 people in 2009 to 11.45 in 2014, while motor vehicle deaths dropped from 9.19 to 8.87 during that time.

In Tennessee, gun deaths increased from 865 in 2004 to 1,020 in 2014, while motor vehicle deaths dropped from 1,191 to 906 during that period, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (the report states Tennessee had 1,000 motor vehicle deaths in 2014), Shelly Bradbury reports for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "Statewide, the pace of gun-related and vehicle-related deaths has seesawed during recent years. But while vehicle-related deaths saw a large drop between 2004 and 2008, gun-related deaths have generally increased, with only occasional year-over-year declines."