kallahar writes I just saw Bowling for Columbine. The primary question put forth is "Why is America more violent than other countries?" No one seems to know, but one theory is that the media keeps people afraid, and that fear leads to violence. Another question was whether the news is merely reporting the problems, or if they're making everything bigger than it actually is. To answer the latter question, I did some research at Gun Deaths in Your State site and put together a spreadsheet comparing the percentage of gun deaths by state (in 1998). Suprisingly, California which is a leader in fear-mongering on TV about crime ranks 18th in gun-related homicides. #1 is DC, #2 is Louisianna. In gun-related suicides CA ranks #39 while Arkansas is at #1 and Nevada at #2. Check out the spreadsheet to find where your state ranks: 1998 Gun Deaths.xls