Ain't so bad, is we?

Trigger happy? Think again: Texas noticeably absent from 20 deadliest gun stateslist

As the nation continues to wait with fingers crossed for the recovery of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the Daily Beast took it upon itself to take a look at gun violence among the states relative to their gun laws. We usually don't put a lot of stock in Daily Beast's compulsive rankings, but the conclusion that seven of the 20 states with the strictest gun laws have gun-related death rates that are higher than the national average had our interest piqued.

There was an old joke that Survivor producers, instead of relegating contestants to an isolated island paradise, should take a more literal approach and have them drive across Texas with a bumper sticker that read "We're homosexual vegetarians and we're here to take your guns."

Though we're often stereotyped as trigger happy and eager to secede, Texas is noticeably absent from the list of deadliest gun states.

The state where you're most likely to be shot and killed is Mississippi, with around 18 gun deaths per 100,000, followed by Arizona (shocking) with 15 gun deaths per 100,000 — and the most permissive gun laws in the country.

The rest of the rankings are as follows: No. 3 Alaska, followed by Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Idaho, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida.

So how did Texas escape an expected top 20 ranking? Tell us what you think — many Texans grew up around firearms. Are we just a saner, calmer bunch, or do we just know our way around our weapons?

unspecified

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

undefined

Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”