State Legislatures Embrace Commonsense Gun Laws
Our mid-year Trendwatch roundup shows that halfway through 2024, more than a dozen states have passed new gun safety laws.
Every year, our attorneys track and analyze the hundreds of gun-related bills that are moving in state legislatures across the country.
Most state legislatures are in session from January until May, meaning state lawmakers have a limited amount of time to get their bills passed and signed into law. During session, we publish a monthly edition of Gun Law Trendwatch, which rounds up the latest developments in gun policy, documents key victories, and monitors the gun lobby’s efforts to undermine public safety.
We track of the latest information on gun legislation across America to help lawmakers and advocates monitor what’s going on in their state and inform efforts to pass gun safety laws—or to fight back against gun lobby bills. Check out Gun Law Trendwatch for an analysis of current trends in 2024.
Seven months into 2024, most state legislative sessions have come and gone. Of the 46 states that were in session this year, only seven remain active.
There’s plenty of time for more progress on gun safety—no one knows what the next few months will hold. But for now, we want to provide an update on the trends we’ve seen so far this year in state legislatures, including:
- Important steps taken to protect our democratic institutions from gun violence and intimidation.
- A renewed focus on gun violence prevention in Maine after a mass shooting in Lewiston last fall.
- Long-awaited gun safety progress in Delaware and Massachusetts.
MEDIA REQUESTS
Our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues. Have a question? Email us at media@giffords.org.
Contact
In 2024, legislatures in both red and blue states have taken important steps to protect citizens from gun violence, fund community violence intervention, and safeguard our democratic institutions.
Guns & Democracy
Political violence has long been a growing problem across America. The use of guns to intimidate and threaten voters, elected officials, and peaceful demonstrators poses a serious threat to our democracy. In light of the shooting of former President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania—where at least one attendee was killed—it is more important than ever that we ensure everyone in this country can participate in the electoral process free from the threat of violence.
The Role of Guns in Rising Political Violence
Kelly Drane—Jan 06, 2023
This session, Colorado, New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Vermont prioritized policies that will help strengthen our democratic institutions. New Mexico and Vermont both passed bills prohibiting firearms at polling places. Colorado closed a loophole in its ban on guns at polling places, which previously allowed individuals with permits to carry concealed handguns at such locations. The Colorado bill also banned firearms in general assembly and local government chambers and meetings, offices of elected officials, and inside courthouses and daycare centers.
Additionally, Massachusetts passed a bill prohibiting firearms in polling places and government buildings as part of a larger gun safety package.
Standout States
A few states made notable gun safety progress this session, overcoming uphill battles to protect their communities.
Maryland
A few states made impressive gun safety progress this session. Maryland became the ninth state in the country to enact legislation to hold the gun industry accountable for illegal conduct. Under the new law, the Maryland attorney general may file suit against firearm manufacturers, dealers, and importers who fail to maintain reasonable controls to prevent harm caused by their firearms. GIFFORDS attorneys were heavily involved in drafting the language of this bill and testified in favor of it.
Maryland also established a statewide Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention, which will partner with federal, state, and local agencies and communities to reduce firearm violence.
Delaware
After years of work by GIFFORDS and other gun safety advocates in Delaware, the state passed landmark legislation to require a permit to purchase a handgun—becoming the 12th state in the country to do so. Under the new law, to receive a permit, an individual must be at least 21 years old, complete firearms training, and not be prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law. State police must also determine that the person does not pose a danger to themself or others.
Maine
Following last year’s tragic mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, legislators began this session with a renewed focus on gun violence prevention. In April, thanks to the significant investment of resources from local gun violence prevention groups and GIFFORDS, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed bills to expand background checks and create a 72-hour waiting period to purchase a gun. Included in the background checks bill was language that improved the state’s “yellow flag” law, which became a point of interest after the Lewiston shooting. While it doesn’t go far enough to achieve a true red flag law, also known as an extreme risk protection order law, advocates are prepared to continue this work next session.
Massachusetts
And just over a week ago, the Massachusetts legislature passed a groundbreaking bill which raises the age to purchase semiautomatic firearms, bans ghost guns and auto sears, strengthens extreme risk protection orders, and modernizes its assault weapons ban. GIFFORDS worked closely with state lawmakers to ensure this bill was as strong as possible, and it marks the state’s first major gun safety legislation in five years.
Other Notable Gun Safety Wins
But the gun safety progress this session didn’t stop there. Plenty of states took significant steps to protect their communities from gun violence.
- Vermont passed a bill requiring all firearms to have a unique serial number.
- Hawaii passed a bill raising the age to purchase ammunition to 21.
- Rhode Island passed a bill requiring the safe storage of firearms and the distribution of information about safe storage to students and parents through schools.
- Minnesota passed a bill expanding straw purchase bans from handguns to all firearms.
- Colorado passed a bill regulating firearm dealers, including increased dealer inspections, firearm safe storage requirements, and dealer training to prevent straw purchases, fraudulent activity, and sales to those who may intend to harm themself or someone else.
- New Mexico passed a law creating a seven-day waiting period to purchase firearms and requiring a seller to receive the results of the background check before transferring the firearm to a buyer.
- Mississippi, Virginia, and Maryland added or expanded prohibitions on auto sears, often called “glock switches.” These dangerous devices are easily installed on semiautomatic firearms to convert them into machine guns. While federal law prohibits auto sears, state bans are also critical, as state and local law enforcement have seen a significant rise in the use and recovery of these devices.
- While they were ultimately vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia legislature passed 30 gun safety measures, including bills instituting a waiting period, banning assault weapons, and closing the “boyfriend loophole.”
And 2024 may yet see more wins. Both New York and California are still in session and are poised to complete work on several important gun safety bills in the upcoming weeks and months.
HERE TO HELP
Interested in partnering with us to draft, enact, or implement lifesaving gun safety legislation in your community? Our attorneys provide free assistance to lawmakers, public officials, and advocates working toward solutions to the gun violence crisis.
CONTACT US
Unfortunately, the gun industry continues to push its dangerous agenda forward in many states. Due to pressure from the gun lobby, South Carolina and Louisiana eliminated their permit requirements to carry concealed handguns. Guns carried in public create the opportunity for everyday arguments to escalate into violent conflicts, and weakening these permitting laws will significantly increase the number of people who have never passed a background check or fired a gun in their lives carrying hidden, loaded guns in public places. Studies show that weakening public carry laws is associated with a 13 to 15% increase in violent crime rates and an 11% increase in handgun homicides.
Despite the gun lobby’s best efforts, however, GIFFORDS and our gun violence prevention partners successfully defeated dangerous bills in Florida. After the Parkland shooting in 2018, Florida passed a wide range of gun safety measures. But now, Republicans in the Florida House want to repeal them—and put all Floridians at greater risk for gun violence. The bills they put forth would have lowered the minimum age to possess firearms from 21 to 18 and allowed dealers to transfer firearms to individuals regardless of whether their background check had been completed, recreating the “Charleston loophole.”
The governors of Wisconsin and Arizona also vetoed dangerous gun lobby bills.
2024 has seen a number of lifesaving victories for gun safety coming out of states from coast to coast. We’re proud that nearly every state in session this year introduced gun violence prevention legislation, and more than a dozen enacted new laws to keep their communities safe.
But this fight isn’t over yet—there’s still plenty more work to do. As always, we’ll continue to work with legislative members and their staff, state coalition partners, and grassroots supporters to advocate for the commonsense gun violence prevention policies that will keep our communities safe. And you’ll hear from us again at the end of the year with our full Trendwatch roundup of 2024’s state legislative trends.
