After the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, Connecticut enacted a host of gun safety laws and now has some of the strongest laws in the country.
In 2023, Connecticut had the sixth lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 227 people die from gun violence in the state. That means someone dies from gun violence every 39 hours. Fifty-two percent of these deaths are gun suicides, and 44% are gun homicides. In Connecticut, the rate of gun deaths increased 25% from 2014 to 2023, compared to a 33% increase nationwide.
What Connecticut Does Well
- Universal background checks
- Gun owner licensing
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Certain domestic violence gun laws
- Assault weapon restrictions
- Large capacity magazine ban
- Strong concealed carry law
- Certain open carry regulations
- Child access prevention laws
- Community violence intervention funding
- Lost & stolen firearm reporting
- State database background checks
- Partial ghost gun ban
- Safe storage requirements
- Bulk firearm purchase restrictions
What Connecticut Is Missing
- Handgun design safety standards
- Microstamping requirements
SPOTLIGHT
GUN LAW SCORECARD
The data is clear: States with stronger gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
Read MoreEXPLORE CONNECTICUT’S GUN LAWS
WHO CAN HAVE A GUN
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
GUNS IN PUBLIC
HARDWARE & AMMUNITION
SUPPORT GUN SAFETY
We’re in this together. To build a safer America—one where children and parents in every neighborhood can learn, play, work, and worship without fear of gun violence—we need you standing beside us in this fight.
