For more than a decade, Giffords Law Center has graded states on their gun laws. And every year, we find that states with strong gun laws experience lower gun death rates. The solutions to American gun violence aren’t a mystery—we simply need more leaders who will stand up to the gun lobby and embrace the commonsense policies proven to save lives.
Throughout the year, our legal experts track and analyze gun legislation in all 50 states, assigning laws and policies point values based on their respective strengths or weaknesses. States are ranked and given letter grades, which are then compared to the most recent gun death rates released by the CDC. Since we started this project in 2010, the evidence has been clear and consistent: strong gun laws save lives, but only in the states that are willing to act.
View a state’s scorecard by selecting it on the map, or switch to the table to view a sortable list of all state grades and ranks.
Gun Death Rate (Ranked)
Gun Death Rate (per 100K)
SHOW MORE VIEW STATE TABLEWant to strengthen your state’s gun laws? Our experts routinely partner with lawmakers to craft lifesaving firearm legislation at the state and local levels. We’re also happy to speak with researchers, advocates, and members of the media interested in learning more about evidence-based strategies for preventing gun violence.
Gun violence has worked its way into nearly every aspect of American life, and national gun violence rates are on the rise. But there is good news: in states committed to gun safety reform, the gun death rates are significantly lower.
Unfortunately, the inverse is also true. Of the 20 states with the highest gun death rates, 17 received Fs for their gun laws and none received As. Mississippi, a state with some of the weakest gun laws in the country, has 10 times the gun death rate of Massachusetts, which boasts some of the strongest laws. America’s inconsistent patchwork of gun safety laws leaves all of us vulnerable—guns from states with weak laws cross state lines, undermining progress and driving violence rates up, particularly in cities.
Until every state across the country stands up to the gun lobby and follows the lead of states with comprehensive gun safety laws, gun violence will continue to plague our communities.