Oklahoma ranks #43 in peacefulness in the nation

In the April 17, 2011 edition of  The Oklahoman, there was an article about how our flyover state ranks #43 in the nation for peacefulness according to the United States Peace Index which was compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace.  The Institute defines peace as the absence of violence.  To find the absence of violence,  it looks at each state and measures the number of homicides, violent crimes, jailed populations, number of police officers and availability of small arms.

If you watch any television at all in the Oklahoma City area, you will be struck by the number of weekend gun shows that go on in Oklahoma City.  The advertisements are always full of the sounds of gun shots and there is a desperate, urgent quality to the message:  load up, stock up, you never know when the "bad guys" will invade your home. 

So when I came downstairs this morning after my ride on the exercise bicycle, I was only half surprised when my husband said, "Look on page 5A of this morning's Oklahoman."  (18Apr2011)  My husband had once met the man who died in a shoot-out at a bar in Medicine Park.  My husband doesn't hang out at bars.  He was only acquainted with him because he had had dealings with Mr. Taylor at Fort Sill.

Around here if we hear gunshots, we don't notify any authorities, we just look out the window. Gunfire is that common around here.  To be fair, we do live in a rural area and there is a lot of hunting and target shooting.  Still.  One of our neighbors drives around with a gun beside him on the passenger seat and another neighbor walks around with a pistol strapped to his thigh.

Number 43 in the nation?  I'm just surprised we weren't #50.