Maine ranks in the middle of the pack when it comes to deaths caused by guns.

A new report, which was released this week by a nonprofit, anti-gun organization based in Washington, D.C., shows Maine is ranked 30th in firearm death rates.

The state of Louisiana was ranked first with 18.91 deaths per 100,000 while Rhode Island was last in gun deaths 3.14 per 100,000, according to the Violence Policy Center.

Maine’s firearm death rate was 10.24 placing it just behind Virginia and Ohio.

The rankings were based on 2011 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention.

“Gun violence is preventable, and states can pass effective laws that will dramatically reduce gun death and injury,” Josh Sugarmann, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center, said in a press release. “Our analysis also shows that states with weak gun violence prevention laws and easy access to guns pay a severe price with gun death rates far above the national average.”

The five states with the highest per capita gun death rates in 2011 were Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, Wyoming and Montana. The Violence Policy Center said each of those states has lax gun violence prevention laws and a higher rate of gun ownership. The five states with the lowest per capita gun death rates were Rhode Island, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. Each of those states has strong gun violence laws and a lower rate of gun ownership, according to the Violence Policy Center.

“Lawmakers in every state should roll up their sleeves and pass stronger legislation to prevent needless deaths from gun violence,” Sue Hornik, Executive Director of States United to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement. “The safety of our families and communities is at stake.” The total number of Americans killed by gunfire rose to 32,351 in 2011 from 31,762 in 2010.


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