A new analysis of unpublished FBI data shows that the homicide rate among blacks in Pennsylvania ranks as the highest in the nation.

		On the Net Read the full report on the Violence Policy Center Website.

The report, released yesterday by the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., is based on uniform crime reports from 2004 -- the most recent data available from the FBI -- and shows that handguns are used in an overwhelming majority of the homicides.

According to the report, there were 398 black homicide victims in Pennsylvania in 2004 -- 348 male, 50 female. Based on population figures, that is a homicide rate of 29.52 victims per 100,000 people.

The states that come closest to Pennsylvania's rate are Louisiana, with 29.48 victims per 100,000; Indiana, with 29.30; and California, with 28.95.

Pennsylvania's rate is more than 1¹/₂ times the national average of 18.71 victims per 100,000 people, said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center and co-author of the study.

"In short, the toll that homicide exacts on black teens and young adults in America, both male and female, is disproportionate, disturbing and undeniable," he said.

And of the 389 Pennsylvania homicides in which a weapon was identified, 335 -- roughly 86 percent -- involved guns.

Mr. Sugarmann said the Violence Policy Center, which he founded in 1988, is a national nonprofit research and educational organization funded by foundations. In the past seven years, the group has issued annual data on women who have been killed.

"We have seen policy-makers, advocates and news media use [the reports] to increase awareness and promote good public policy regarding domestic violence issues," he said. "This is the first time we've ever studied black homicides."

Homicide is the leading cause of death of blacks ages 15 to 19, 20 to 24, and 25 to 34.

In comparison, homicide ranks as the third-leading cause of death for whites in age groups 15 to 19 and 20 to 24 -- the top two causes are accidents and suicide. Among whites ages 25 to 34, homicide drops to the fifth-leading cause, behind accidents, suicide, cancer and heart disease.

"It's very easy for people to think, 'I know there's a crisis as far as black homicide, but it's happening someplace else,' " Mr. Sugarmann said. "Our goal is to provide a context and a sharper focus on the problem."

But according to one expert, there are several factors that need to be kept in mind when considering Pennsylvania's high ranking.

"First, if you look across the top 10 states, the numbers aren't all that far apart," said Alfred Blumstein, a Carnegie Mellon University professor and director of the National Consortium on Violence Research at the school.

"And the data for Louisiana has obviously changed since then because [of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005]."

Also, the study does not include Florida because that state does not submit information to the FBI database.

Furthermore, Mr. Blumstein said, "Philadelphia would be, by far, the largest component of Pennsylvania's statistics."

According to the Allegheny County medical examiner's office, there were 83 homicides here in 2004. Sixty-three of those victims were black.

In 2003, however, those numbers were much higher. Of the 125 homicides, 92 victims were black.

Last year, Allegheny County had 95 homicides, 74 of them black victims.

Mr. Blumstein, who is among the nation's leading criminologists, said the most striking aspect of the national data, to him, was "the prevalence of the guns."

"It certainly highlights the degree to which homicide is a factor in inner-city life for black Americans, and the guns are a major contributor to that," he said.

"Our response should be to see, as a community, that we do what we can to make sure that guns are not part of the street-walking armamentarium of young people out there."

City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle of Homewood last night reacted with surprise to the state's ranking and also was quick to suggest the numbers were skewed by violence in Philadelphia.

Still, she said, it is a problem that must be addressed by society.

"Everything starts at home, in the household, in the community," she said. "Everybody has to be involved with this situation. When a child comes in with tennis shoes that cost $250 and you know you didn't pay for them, a signal should go off. Or if they're not in school, a signal should go off.

"We have to start being more alert as parents and individuals. And involve our churches more. We have to go back to our basics."

As far as suggestions that the problem is the availability of guns, Ms. Carlisle said, "I'm not a strong proponent of guns anyway; however, guns don't kill people, people kill people, as the saying goes. We have to make sure we keep them away from our kids."

Mr. Sugarmann, on the other hand, made no attempt to disguise his group's motivation for studying and publicizing the data.

"We are a gun control group," he said. "We believe that the gun industry needs to be regulated. ... Handguns and assault weapons. And we believe that the vast bulk of guns left out there -- traditional hunting rifles and shotguns, which aren't the problem -- would be made safer through federal health and safety regulation.

"The facts are there. I don't think anybody in Pennsylvania can argue that we're making this up. Policy-makers and individuals might disagree with us on the best approach, but they can't deny that there's a problem."