ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – African Americans, especially black men have a greater chance of being murdered in Missouri than in any other state, and chances are they’ll be killed by a handgun.

According to the Violence Policy Center, based on FBI statistics, 2010 was the third year in a row Missouri led the nation in black homicide rates.

Each state is ranked by the number of black murder victims per 100,000 population.

• 1) Missouri, 33.86 per 100,000
• 2) Pennsylvania, 26.87 per 100,000
• 3) Michigan, 26.61 per 100,000
• 4) Nebraska, 25.58 per 100,000
• 5) Oklahoma, 25.45 per 100,000

In Missouri in 2010, 231 black murder victims were men and 24 were women.

91-percent were killed with guns, 58-percent of them with handguns, and 71-percent were killed by someone they knew.

In cases where it could be identified, nearly half the murders occurred during the commission of another felony, 72-percent of the rest involved arguments between the victim and their killer.

Nationally, 83-percent of black murder victims were shot.