Alabama, with a population of 5 million, had 26.4 firearm deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That same year, New York state, with about 20 million people, reported 1,078 firearms deaths, a rate of 5.4 gun deaths per 100,000. 

Some experts say Alabama’s permissive gun laws are a big factor. Poverty and a lack of social programs compared to other states also contribute.

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says no single law will solve the issues of gun violence.

“You have to think very specifically about it,” Reeher says. “There is no one blanket policy that is going to say, ‘OK, this is going to reduce gun violence and it is going to apply equally to everybody.’ You have to think of the pockets and where the risk is.”

He adds that interventions that have nothing to do with gun policy are what is needed. Additional funding and services to treat mental health, increasing connectedness to a community and criminal justice system resources that can target repeat offenders are potential solutions.

Read more in the Alabama Reflector article, “Why does Alabama have more gun deaths than New York?”