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Gun Control
Ever wonder why Texas is home to so many mass shootings? It’s not just because of its size or population. Can it be a coincidence that the Lone Star State has the most permissive gun laws in the U.S.?
Texas is ranked 47th in a new survey of Safest States, one notch below Alabama, making it one of the worst places to live in America by some measures. The rankings were compiled by the personal finance website WalletHub. Keeping company with Texas and Alabama among the 10 worst states are Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. All 10 are Red States with their tough on crime laws and their governors and legislatures largely in agreement with the MAGA agenda.
Deaths by gun violence isn’t the only yardstick employed by WalletHub. Also examined are percentages of fully vaccinated residents, assaults per capita, traffic and workplace safety and the unemployment rate. “To assess threats and hazards, one can look at real estate databases and maps to note various crime areas, school ratings, pet friendliness, green spaces, floodplains, property assessments, values, and tax rates,” says Rebecca A. Rouse, associate program director at Tulane University’s emergency and security studies program.
On the subject of choosing where to live, Edward J. Miller, co-director of UW-Stevens Point’s Center for the Small City, adds, “Pollution should be the first criterion as it clearly affects health, Crime is probably second.”
With the exception of Utah, the 10 Safest States are Blue or Purple. Number 3 ranked New Hampshire has the fewest murders and non-negligent manslaughters per 100,000 residents, 0.88, which is 18 times fewer per 100,000 than in Louisiana, the most at 15.80. Number 6 ranked Massachusetts has the fewest thefts per 1,000 residents, 10.97 per 100,000, which is 2.7 times fewer than in Louisiana, the most at 29.65 per 100,000.
As of October 2022, Wisconsin, once among the greatest states in the U.S., is neither in the top 10 nor the bottom 10 but falls in the middle at Number 23. Can Wisconsin move forward, as our state motto insists, or will we sink toward the bottom? The results of the November election may determine the outcome.
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To view the full report from WalletHub, click here.
