Gun Safety Policies Save Lives | Everytown Research & Policy

Gun Safety Policies Save Lives | Everytown Research & Policy
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Foundational laws
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Concealed Carry Permit Required
Extreme Risk Law
No Shoot First Law
Secure Storage/Child Access Prevention Required
Gun industry and product safety
Assault Weapons Prohibited
Auto Sears/Glock Switches Prohibited
Bump Stocks Prohibited
Consumer Safety
Dealer License Required
Ghost Guns Regulated
High Capacity Magazines Prohibited
Legal Accountability for Gun Industry
Microstamping for New Handguns
Guns in public
No Carry After Violent Offense
No Guns Mandate on College Campuses
No Guns at State Capitols and/or Demonstrations
No Guns in Bars
No Guns in K-12 Schools
Open Carry Regulated
Strong Concealed Carry Authority
Keeping guns out of the wrong hands
Emergency Restraining Order Prohibitor
Felony Prohibitor
Fugitive from Justice Prohibitor
Gun Removal Program
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Mental Health Prohibitor
Minimum Age to Purchase
No Gun Purchases After Violent Offense
Prohibition for Convicted Domestic Abusers
Prohibition for Domestic Abusers Under Restraining Orders
Relinquishment for Convicted Domestic Abusers
Relinquishment for Domestic Abusers Under Restraining Orders
School Threat Assessment Teams
Stalker Prohibitor
Policing and civil rights
Funding for Services for Victims of Gun Violence
Local Gun Laws Allowed
No Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights
Office of Violence Intervention
Police Use of Deadly Force Standard
Qualified Immunity Limited
Tools to Address Crime Guns
Violence Intervention Program Funding
Sales and permitting
Authority to Deny Gun Purchase for Public Safety
Charleston Loophole Closed or Limited
Lost and Stolen Reporting
Mental Health Record Reporting
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Training Required to Purchase Guns
Waiting Periods
Check out EveryShot Insights - our new AI-driven analysis of gun violence incidents nationwide based on the latest public and media reporting
We compared gun policy across the country, scoring every state on the
strength of its gun laws
and comparing it with its
rate of gun violence
. In states where elected officials have taken action to pass gun safety laws, fewer people die by gun violence. Choose a state to see how it stacks up on 50 key policies, or explore a policy to see how much of the country has adopted it.
National Leaders
California
Gun Law Strength:
91
Gun Violence Rate:
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
91
Gun Violence Rate
Better than average
Illinois
Gun Law Strength:
87
Gun Violence Rate:
12.4
Up from #3 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
87
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.4
Massachusetts
Gun Law Strength:
86.5
Gun Violence Rate:
3.8
Down from #2 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
86.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
3.8
New York
Gun Law Strength:
85
Gun Violence Rate:
4.4
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
85
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
4.4
Connecticut
Gun Law Strength:
83
Gun Violence Rate:
5.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
83
Gun Violence Rate
Better than average
5.8
Hawaii
Gun Law Strength:
81.5
Gun Violence Rate:
3.7
Up from #7 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
81.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
3.7
New Jersey
Gun Law Strength:
80.5
Gun Violence Rate:
Down from #6 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
80.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
Maryland
Gun Law Strength:
78.5
Gun Violence Rate:
11.6
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
78.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.6
Washington
Gun Law Strength:
76
Gun Violence Rate:
11
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
76
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11
10
Delaware
Gun Law Strength:
71
Gun Violence Rate:
11.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
71
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.8
Making Progress
11
Colorado
Gun Law Strength:
69.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
69.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.3
12
Oregon
Gun Law Strength:
67
Gun Violence Rate:
14.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
67
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
14.2
13
Rhode Island
Gun Law Strength:
65
Gun Violence Rate:
4.6
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
65
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
4.6
14
Minnesota
Gun Law Strength:
55
Gun Violence Rate:
9.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
55
Gun Violence Rate
Better than average
9.8
15
Virginia
Gun Law Strength:
49.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
49.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.8
16
New Mexico
Gun Law Strength:
43.5
Gun Violence Rate:
26.6
Up from #17 last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
43.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
26.6
17
Vermont
Gun Law Strength:
43
Gun Violence Rate:
10.6
Down from #16 last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
43
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
10.6
18
Pennsylvania
Gun Law Strength:
40
Gun Violence Rate:
11.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
40
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.9
19
Nevada
Gun Law Strength:
37.5
Gun Violence Rate:
17.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
37.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.2
20
Michigan
Gun Law Strength:
37
Gun Violence Rate:
11.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
37
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.9
Missing Key Laws
21
Maine
Gun Law Strength:
33
Gun Violence Rate:
11.9
Up from #23 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
33
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.9
22
Wisconsin
Gun Law Strength:
28.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.1
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
28.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.1
23
Florida
Gun Law Strength:
25.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.7
Down from #21 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
25.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.7
24
North Carolina
Gun Law Strength:
24.5
Gun Violence Rate:
16.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
24.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
16.3
25
Nebraska
Gun Law Strength:
23
Gun Violence Rate:
10.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
23
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
10.9
Weak Systems
26
Indiana
Gun Law Strength:
18.5
Gun Violence Rate:
17.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
18.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.2
27
West Virginia
Gun Law Strength:
18.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
18.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.3
28
Alabama
Gun Law Strength:
16
Gun Violence Rate:
23.7
Up from #34 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
16
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
23.7
29
Tennessee
Gun Law Strength:
15
Gun Violence Rate:
19.8
Up from #31 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
15
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.8
30
Ohio
Gun Law Strength:
14.5
Gun Violence Rate:
14.6
Down from #29 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
14.6
31
Iowa
Gun Law Strength:
14
Gun Violence Rate:
11.8
Down from #28 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.8
32
Texas
Gun Law Strength:
14
Gun Violence Rate:
13.9
Down from #30 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
13.9
33
South Carolina
Gun Law Strength:
14
Gun Violence Rate:
19.5
Down from #32 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.5
34
Louisiana
Gun Law Strength:
12.5
Gun Violence Rate:
22.9
Down from #33 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
12.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
22.9
35
North Dakota
Gun Law Strength:
11.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
11.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.2
36
Utah
Gun Law Strength:
11.5
Gun Violence Rate:
13.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
11.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
13.3
National Failures
37
Kentucky
Gun Law Strength:
9.5
Gun Violence Rate:
18.5
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
9.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
18.5
38
Kansas
Gun Law Strength:
9.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
9.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.2
39
Alaska
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
24.4
Up from #40 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
24.4
40
Missouri
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
19.6
Up from #41 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.6
41
Arizona
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
16.9
Up from #42 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
16.9
42
Oklahoma
Gun Law Strength:
7.5
Gun Violence Rate:
19.1
Up from #43 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
7.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.1
43
New Hampshire
Gun Law Strength:
7.5
Gun Violence Rate:
10.2
Down from #39 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
7.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
10.2
44
Georgia
Gun Law Strength:
5.5
Gun Violence Rate:
17.6
Up from #45 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
5.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.6
45
Montana
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
20.2
Up from #47 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
20.2
46
Wyoming
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
23.4
Down from #44 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
23.4
47
Arkansas
Gun Law Strength:
4.5
Gun Violence Rate:
20.6
Up from #48 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
4.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
20.6
48
South Dakota
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
17.3
Down from #46 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.3
49
Mississippi
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
28
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
28
50
Idaho
Gun Law Strength:
3.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
3.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.9
Mississippi
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
28
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
28
New Mexico
Gun Law Strength:
43.5
Gun Violence Rate:
26.6
Up from #17 last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
43.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
26.6
Alaska
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
24.4
Up from #40 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
24.4
Alabama
Gun Law Strength:
16
Gun Violence Rate:
23.7
Up from #34 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
16
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
23.7
Wyoming
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
23.4
Down from #44 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
23.4
Louisiana
Gun Law Strength:
12.5
Gun Violence Rate:
22.9
Down from #33 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
12.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
22.9
Arkansas
Gun Law Strength:
4.5
Gun Violence Rate:
20.6
Up from #48 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
4.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
20.6
Montana
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
20.2
Up from #47 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Among the highest
20.2
Tennessee
Gun Law Strength:
15
Gun Violence Rate:
19.8
Up from #31 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
15
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.8
10
Missouri
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
19.6
Up from #41 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.6
11
South Carolina
Gun Law Strength:
14
Gun Violence Rate:
19.5
Down from #32 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.5
12
Oklahoma
Gun Law Strength:
7.5
Gun Violence Rate:
19.1
Up from #43 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
7.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
19.1
13
Kentucky
Gun Law Strength:
9.5
Gun Violence Rate:
18.5
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
9.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
18.5
14
Georgia
Gun Law Strength:
5.5
Gun Violence Rate:
17.6
Up from #45 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
5.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.6
15
South Dakota
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
17.3
Down from #46 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.3
16
Nevada
Gun Law Strength:
37.5
Gun Violence Rate:
17.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
37.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.2
17
Indiana
Gun Law Strength:
18.5
Gun Violence Rate:
17.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
18.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
17.2
18
Arizona
Gun Law Strength:
Gun Violence Rate:
16.9
Up from #42 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
16.9
19
North Carolina
Gun Law Strength:
24.5
Gun Violence Rate:
16.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
24.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
16.3
20
Idaho
Gun Law Strength:
3.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
3.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.9
21
Colorado
Gun Law Strength:
69.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
69.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.3
22
West Virginia
Gun Law Strength:
18.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
18.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.3
23
Kansas
Gun Law Strength:
9.5
Gun Violence Rate:
15.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
9.5
Gun Violence Rate
Worse than average
15.2
24
Ohio
Gun Law Strength:
14.5
Gun Violence Rate:
14.6
Down from #29 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
14.6
25
Oregon
Gun Law Strength:
67
Gun Violence Rate:
14.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
67
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
14.2
26
Texas
Gun Law Strength:
14
Gun Violence Rate:
13.9
Down from #30 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
13.9
27
Utah
Gun Law Strength:
11.5
Gun Violence Rate:
13.3
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
11.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
13.3
28
Virginia
Gun Law Strength:
49.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
49.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.8
29
Florida
Gun Law Strength:
25.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.7
Down from #21 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
25.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.7
30
Illinois
Gun Law Strength:
87
Gun Violence Rate:
12.4
Up from #3 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
87
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.4
31
North Dakota
Gun Law Strength:
11.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.2
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
11.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.2
32
Wisconsin
Gun Law Strength:
28.5
Gun Violence Rate:
12.1
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
28.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
12.1
33
Pennsylvania
Gun Law Strength:
40
Gun Violence Rate:
11.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
40
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.9
34
Michigan
Gun Law Strength:
37
Gun Violence Rate:
11.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
37
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.9
35
Maine
Gun Law Strength:
33
Gun Violence Rate:
11.9
Up from #23 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
33
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.9
36
Delaware
Gun Law Strength:
71
Gun Violence Rate:
11.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
71
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.8
37
Iowa
Gun Law Strength:
14
Gun Violence Rate:
11.8
Down from #28 last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
14
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.8
38
Maryland
Gun Law Strength:
78.5
Gun Violence Rate:
11.6
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
78.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11.6
39
Washington
Gun Law Strength:
76
Gun Violence Rate:
11
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
76
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
11
40
Nebraska
Gun Law Strength:
23
Gun Violence Rate:
10.9
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Weak
23
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
10.9
41
Vermont
Gun Law Strength:
43
Gun Violence Rate:
10.6
Down from #16 last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
43
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
10.6
42
New Hampshire
Gun Law Strength:
7.5
Gun Violence Rate:
10.2
Down from #39 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the weakest
7.5
Gun Violence Rate
Near average
10.2
43
Minnesota
Gun Law Strength:
55
Gun Violence Rate:
9.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
55
Gun Violence Rate
Better than average
9.8
44
California
Gun Law Strength:
91
Gun Violence Rate:
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
91
Gun Violence Rate
Better than average
45
Connecticut
Gun Law Strength:
83
Gun Violence Rate:
5.8
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
83
Gun Violence Rate
Better than average
5.8
46
Rhode Island
Gun Law Strength:
65
Gun Violence Rate:
4.6
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Getting stronger
65
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
4.6
47
New York
Gun Law Strength:
85
Gun Violence Rate:
4.4
Same rank as last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
85
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
4.4
48
New Jersey
Gun Law Strength:
80.5
Gun Violence Rate:
Down from #6 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
80.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
49
Massachusetts
Gun Law Strength:
86.5
Gun Violence Rate:
3.8
Down from #2 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
86.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
3.8
50
Hawaii
Gun Law Strength:
81.5
Gun Violence Rate:
3.7
Up from #7 last year
Gun Law Score
Among the strongest
81.5
Gun Violence Rate
Among the lowest
3.7
If every state in the country had the gun death rates of our 10 National Leaders, we could save 262,000 lives in the next decade.
Everytown Research analysis of CDC WONDER state gun death rates and Everytown Gun Law Rankings 2026. Each state’s baseline projection reflects the average annual crude gun death rate change it experienced from 2012 to 2024 (i.e., the decade prior, excluding 2020 and 2021 to avoid skewing projections with COVID-driven trends that are already reversing). This percent change was then applied to provisional 2024 data to project gun deaths over the next decade (2026–2035). To determine the lives that could be saved, researchers then subtracted from these projections the number of deaths that would have occurred had each state experienced the same (lower) average annual gun death rate and rate change as the National Leaders. States in the National Leaders group with a starting rate below the combined group average were excluded from the projections.
Gun laws work
When we compare the states head-to-head on the top 50 gun safety policies, a clear pattern emerges. States with strong laws see less gun violence. Indeed, the states that have failed to put basic protections into place—”national failures” on our scale—have a rate of gun deaths
more than two and a half times higher
than the states that are national gun safety leaders.
Everytown Research analysis of CDC WONDER 2024 data. In 2024, the combined age-adjusted gun death rate among the national failure states was 18.5, compared to a rate of 7.2 among the national leader states.
Strong Gun Laws, Fewer Deaths
National Leaders
Gun Law Strength:
82
Gun Violence Rate:
7.5
Making Progress
Gun Law Strength:
50.7
Gun Violence Rate:
13.4
Missing Key Laws
Gun Law Strength:
26.9
Gun Violence Rate:
12.7
Weak Systems
Gun Law Strength:
14.5
Gun Violence Rate:
16.7
National Failures
Gun Law Strength:
6.4
Gun Violence Rate:
19
The top 50 laws we focus on represent a wide range of interventions. Some block gun access by people who pose a threat with a firearm, while others focus on limiting gun violence in public. Some seek to increase police accountability and protect civil rights, while another set targets bad actors in the gun industry.
All states should start with a core group of five foundational laws—passing background checks and/or purchase permitting, along with Extreme Risk laws and secure gun storage requirements; and rejecting Shoot First (also known as Stand Your Ground) and permitless carry laws. While each of the top 16 states in the gun law rankings has all five of these policies in place, only one of the bottom 18 states has even one of these critical protections.
The national gun safety landscape has seen states move in opposite directions in recent years. While all 10 states in our “making progress” tier have made significant additions to their firearm laws in recent years—with a strong majority adding several points to its gun law score—a whopping 28 states at the other end of the scale have made the dangerous decision to repeal their concealed carry permit requirements.
Our gun law rankings are a roadmap for how to build the ideal state system. They will walk you through the most important policies and help you compare these protections across the country.
Even the strongest system can’t protect a state from its neighbors’ weak laws
The rankings clearly show that gun laws save lives. But no state is an island (except Hawaii), and any state may be vulnerable if its neighbors fail to protect public safety. That’s how northeastern states with strong laws ended up victims of the infamous “iron pipeline,” the route traffickers use to bring guns up from southeastern states with weak laws. The evidence tells a simple story about porous borders: Out of all guns showing up at crime scenes after crossing state lines,
nearly three out of four
come from states that lack good background check laws.
Notable strong law states like
Illinois
and
Maryland
remain plagued with high gun violence in their
biggest cities
, in large part because they’re targeted by traffickers.
ATF, “National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA), Volume II: Crime Guns,” November 2023,
Indeed, an outsized share of likely trafficked crime guns recovered in Illinois begin their journey in states with weak laws. And
Virginia
, which had weak gun purchase laws until 2020, has long been the top supplier of crime guns into Maryland. At the other end of the scale,
New Hampshire
has an unusually low gun death rate compared with its weaker policies, in part because it is buffered by robust laws among other states in the region.
High gun ownership rates also play a role in strong states where deaths are higher
Access to a firearm
drastically increases
the likelihood of suicide, and a gun in the home is associated with more gun homicides. Again, a state like New Hampshire has low gun violence relative to the strength of its laws—likely due in part to its below-average gun ownership rate. On the other hand, states like Nevada and New Mexico have higher rates of gun violence than their laws might suggest—perhaps in part as a result of above-average gun ownership.
It takes time for new laws to have an impact
Several states have had recent success passing strong policy—for example,
Nevada
added half of its gun law score and
New Mexico
added close to 50% of its score in the past several years. Both states enacted Extreme Risk, background check, secure storage, and domestic violence laws, with New Mexico also limiting qualified immunity, addressing the Charleston Loophole, and adding a waiting period, and Nevada tackling ghost guns and prohibiting bump stocks. Those states can hope to see newfound protection in the coming years—and more lives saved.
At the other end of the scale,
Iowa
repealed both its background check and carry permit laws in 2021, losing over 40% of its gun law score in one year. In 2024, it passed a dangerous law allowing teachers to carry guns into K–12 schools, and it lowered the minimum purchase age in 2025. This new, radical change in its score provides a partial and likely temporary explanation for its relatively low gun death rate. Iowans should be concerned about a future spike in violence.
Federal laws help prevent gun violence nationwide
All 50 states can rely on a backbone of federal laws to help keep guns out of the wrong hands. Yet the federal system is far too weak overall—for example, failing to require background checks on all gun sales and giving special legal immunity to the gun industry. State policymakers should protect their residents by filling the many gaps in federal law, and must also take action where state power is at its strongest, such as requiring a process for domestic abusers to turn in guns when they become prohibited from having them.
There’s work to do beyond strong state laws
By comparing state gun laws with gun violence outcomes, we see how critical it is to enact strong policy. But a caveat is required: There is necessary
non-legislative
gun safety work this site doesn’t show—including community-based violence intervention programs; regulatory efforts, funding campaigns, and on-the-ground implementation; local executive action and city and town ordinances; and responsible cultural norms around gun safety.
Where do we go from here?
A safer future is possible. Our gun law rankings show which states are ahead and which are behind, and provide a checklist for how to get there.
How did we calculate these rankings? Learn more in our methodology.
How does gun violence impact your state? Learn more about gun violence statistics.
Learn more about the movement to end gun violence.
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