Why Hawai‘i Has America’s Lowest Rates of Gun Violence
It’s a Combination of Relative Prosperity, Isolation, Unique Culture—and Tough Laws
Every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control, 33,000 Americans die from violence linked to guns. Massacres like the February shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have become familiar events. Since 2012, there have been 1,650 incidents where four or more people were shot. It is easy to despair that gun violence is a terminal condition in the United States.
Yet this country has homegrown examples of effective gun regulation. Hawai‘i is one.
Although it’s best known for tropical weather and natural beauty, the Aloha State has another quality that …
