Gun-related death rate ranks fifth

CARSON CITY -- Nevada ranks fifth among states in gun-related deaths per capita, according to the Violence Policy Center, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.

The group said states at the top of the list have per capita gun death rates far exceeding the national rate of 10.3 per 100,000 population.

Louisiana's rate was 19.6, followed by 17 in Alabama, 16.4 in Alaska and Mississippi, and 16.3 in Nevada. Hawaii has the fewest gun deaths per capita, 2.6.

The Violence Policy Center says each of the states with a high death rate has lax gun laws and higher gun ownership rates.

The report defined states with "weak" gun laws as those that add little or nothing to federal restrictions and have permissive laws allowing civilians to carry concealed handguns.

The nonprofit compiled its list by analyzing 2006 data, the latest available, from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.