Site Ranks Most Dangerous "Gun States": Here Are the Top Ten

As the debate over  gun control rages in the wake of the horrific Gabrielle Giffords shooting, which left the Congresswoman fighting for her life with a brain injury and six other bystanders dead, the Daily Beast has put together a list of the ten most dangerous "gun states" in America.

The staff at the Beast weighted their ranking 75% on number of gun deaths per 1000 people, and 25% on a comprehensive ranking of gun safety laws put together by the "Legal Community Against Violence," a watchdog group.

The results when the two were mixed put Arizona as the second most dangerous state. 

Here are the top ten. For the full list and methodology, see the Daily Beast.

#1, Mississippi

Gun deaths per 100,000: 18.3 | Permissive gun laws: 4th out of 50

#2, Arizona

Gun deaths per 100,000: 15 | Permissive gun laws: 1st out of 50

#3, Alaska

Gun deaths per 100,000: 17.6 | Permissive gun laws: 11th out of 50

 #4, Arkansas

Gun deaths per 100,000: 15.1 | Permissive gun laws: 7th out of 50

 #5, Louisiana

Gun deaths per 100,000: 19.9 | Permissive gun laws: 23rd out of 50

 #6, New Mexico

Gun deaths per 100,000: 15 | Permissive gun laws: 6th out of 50

 #7, Alabama

Gun deaths per 100,000: 17.6 | Permissive gun laws: 27th out of 50

#8, Nevada

Gun deaths per 100,000: 16.2 | Permissive gun laws: 22nd out of 50

 #9, Montana

Gun deaths per 100,000: 14.5 | Permissive gun laws: 10th out of 50

 #10, Wyoming

Gun deaths per 100,000: 14.5 | Permissive gun laws: 8th out of 50