The article is just lazy journalism. There are a lot of possible alternatives variables to run a regression on that could have stronger explanatory power and th

The article is just lazy journalism. There are a lot of possible alternatives variables to run a regression on that could have stronger explanatory power and they just chose the first that fit the narrative they wanted to present. Southern states and the legacy of racism looks like a viable explanation for the higher murder rates in 'Red' states that should have been explored as part of the article.