This article was reported and published by The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom investigating gun violence in America. Click here to subscribe to its newsletters.

When Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced he was sending his state’s National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., at President Donald Trump’s request, he framed the move as a matter of public safety. “Crime is out of control there, and it’s clear something must be done to combat it,” Reeves declared.

But several parts of Reeves’s state are worse off than Washington. At least 17 Mississippi counties endured more gun homicides per capita than the nation’s capital in 2024. That includes Hinds County, home to the state capital of Jackson, where the rate was nearly twice that of Washington’s last year.

Reeves isn’t alone. Five other

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