Study: Gun deaths outpace motor vehicle deaths in Washington state

A new report says gun deaths killed more people than motor vehicle crashes in Washington state in 2010, according to a national anti-gun violence advocacy group.

The newly released analysis from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) says Washington recorded 609 gun deaths, 554 motor vehicle deaths in 2010, the most recent year numbers were available.

Washington is one of 12 states, along with the District of Columbia, to record more deaths from guns than motor vehicle crashes.

“I think what the trend shows is that we have been very successful nationally and at the state level in reducing motor vehicle deaths,” says Kristen Rand, VPC legislative director. But she says the same can’t be said about guns.

The list of states where gun deaths exceeded motor vehicle deaths includes Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Virginia. The data came from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Michigan had the most reported gun deaths with 1,076, compared to 1,063 motor vehicle deaths.

The oranization is calling for the same types of consumer safety protections applied to virtually every other product and industry. “People would be shocked to learn that teddy bears are subject to stronger health and safety regulation than guns,” Rand says.

Here are the figures for each of the 12 states and the District of Columbia:

Alaska: 144 gun deaths, 71 motor vehicle deaths

Arizona: 931 gun deaths, 795 motor vehicle deaths

Colorado: 555 gun deaths, 487 motor vehicle deaths

District of Columbia: 99 gun deaths, 38 motor vehicle deaths

Illinois: 1,064 gun deaths, 1,042 motor vehicle deaths

Louisiana: 864 gun deaths, 722 motor vehicle deaths

Maryland: 538 gun deaths, 514 motor vehicle deaths

Michigan: 1,076 gun deaths, 1,063 motor vehicle deaths

Nevada: 395 gun deaths, 289 motor vehicle deaths

Oregon: 458 gun deaths, 324 motor vehicle deaths

Utah: 314 gun deaths, 274 motor vehicle deaths

Virginia: 875 gun deaths, 728 motor vehicle deaths

Washington: 609 gun deaths, 554 motor vehicle deaths

The organization is pushing a number of gun safety measures, including an assault weapons ban, restrictions on magazine capacity, background checks and bans on sales to higher risk people.

“We’d like to see the same strategy applied that we’ve applied to virtually every other consumer product manufactured in America including automobiles,” she says.