I already knew that Kentucky was 1st in number of smoking deaths, the 6th worst state in which to start a business, the 7th fattest state in America and also the 7th poorest* (coincidence? I think not), 41st in childcare affordability, 42nd in terms of federal funds received per dollar of taxes, the 46th least-educated workforce, and 49th in terms of people's wellbeing. (*12 of Kentucky's 120 counties are among the 25 poorest counties in all of America.) And I've long suspected that Kentucky ranks up there in mullets and cutoff jeans per 100,000 residents, but I couldn't find any available statistics.
But now I find out that by a WIDE margin KY is the most heavily armed state in the union. KY blows #2 Utah away, (pardon the pun), it's not even close.
If you're a math genius, you'll notice there are more firearms background checks than people, meaning there are way more guns than people in KY, especially if we assume these numbers hold steady from year to year.
Seriously though, what's wrong with us?? Why do we poor, fat, uneducated, heavy-smoking people need so many guns? What are we doing with them all?
UPDATE 07.21.2010: To answer my rhetorical question, it later occurred to me to check the latest data on suicide rates by state. It turns out KY ranked an unhealthy 10th in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Again, an eyeballing seems to show a strong correlation between the most suicidal and the most heavily armed U.S. states.
Kind of makes me nervous about coming home....
This stat is ironic because the most armed states correlate nicely with the states that are the biggest federal welfare queens, i.e. they receive more federal spending than they contribute in federal taxes. But if Obama tried to take their guns away... it'd spark a revolution for independence! That is, until all those Kentuckians became fatigued from hunger because Obama cancelled their EBT cards.
June 28, 2010 | The Daily Beast
1. Kentucky
Population: 4,314,113
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 – May 2010): 134,028
2. Utah
Population: 2,784,572
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 30,315
3. Montana
Population: 974,989
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 25,745
4. Wyoming
Population: 544,270
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 22,827
5. Alaska
Population: 698,473
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 22,273
6. West Virginia
Population: 1,819,777
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 21,455
7. South Dakota
Population: 812,383
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 19,062
8. North Dakota
Population: 646,844
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 17,829
9. Arkansas
Population: 2,889,450
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 17,483
10. Alabama
Population: 4,708,708
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 16,860
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