Republican's High Gun Death Rate in Home State Exposed During Hearing

Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana was confronted about the high firearms death rate in his home state during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence.

So far in 2023, over 39,000 people have been killed by firearms in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an organization that tracks shootings. There have been at least 619 mass shootings and 33 mass murders this year, prompting calls for Congress to strengthen national gun laws, as gun control remains a tensely divided matter in the United States.

Proponents of gun control say limiting the ability of individuals to buy some weapons, such as assault rifles, would mitigate the number of shootings. Others, however, say stronger gun laws would impede the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.

During Tuesday's hearing, Kennedy asked Dr. Megan Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, about gun violence in Chicago, Illinois, a city conservatives frequently say has a high crime rate due to progressive prosecutorial policies.

"Let me ask you this. Why do you think that Chicago has become America's largest outdoor shooting range? Do you think it's because of Chicago citizens who have no criminal record but who have a gun in their home for protection or perhaps for hunting? Or do you think it's because of a finite group of criminals who have rap sheets as long as King Kong's arm?" Kennedy asked.

Ranney responded by pointing out that Kennedy's home state of Louisiana has a higher firearms death rate than Chicago. Louisiana has a Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, while Republicans hold control of both chambers of the state legislature.

Experts point to higher levels of inequality and ease of access in purchasing guns in conservative areas as to why they often have high rates of gun violence.

"So I don't live in Chicago. It's not my primary area of research," she said. "I think there's easy access to firearms combined with environmental conditions, lack of great education. There have actually been studies showing that when you green vacant lots and repair abandoned buildings in urban neighborhoods, you see decreases in gunshots and violence, as well as in stress and depression in the neighborhoods around them."

Kennedy then dismissed her response as a "word salad."

Newsweek reached out to Senator Kennedy's office and Dr. Ranney for comment via email.

According to a study conducted by the Violence Policy Center, Louisiana had a gun rate death of 28.42 in 2022. Chicago had a gun rate death of roughly 25.82 for that same year, according to a Newsweek analysis of the city's 2022 crime data.

Video of the exchange went viral on social media, being viewed more than 125,000 times on X, formerly Twitter, by early Tuesday afternoon.

"Very important point that often goes ignored. Generally, if you're in a state with good gun laws, you're much less likely to get shot. Here are the states where you're most likely to be shot. Notice anything?" Congressman Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, wrote in response to the video, sharing a map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The utter stupidity and racism of many in charge of governing a multi-racial democracy in a complex and changing world is enough to make you weep," author Michael Tubbs said.

Journalist Zaid Jilani accused both sides of the issue of playing politics.

"Why are states being compared to cities, when really neighborhoods are where violence is concentrated (parts of Chicago might as well be in Zurich, Switzerland, other parts have PTSD rates as high as war veterans). The politicking on this issue by all sides is unfortunate" Jilani said on X.

Correction: 11/28/23, 4:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect that Louisiana has a Democratic governor.