Massachusetts has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and leads the nation in investing in community violence intervention strategies.
In 2023, Massachusetts had the lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 259 people die from gun violence in the state. That means someone dies from gun violence every 34 hours. Fifty-five percent of those deaths are gun suicides, and 43% are gun homicides. In Massachusetts, the rate of gun deaths increased 17% from 2014 to 2023, compared to a 33% increase nationwide.
What Massachusetts Does Well
- Gun owner licensing
- Universal background checks
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Domestic violence gun laws
- Large capacity magazine ban
- Strong concealed carry law
- Certain open carry regulations
- Safe storage laws
- Community violence intervention funding
- Record-keeping of gun sales
- Ghost gun laws
- Assault weapon restrictions
What Massachusetts Is Missing
- Victims’ access to justice law
- Stronger firearm restrictions for harassment prevention court orders
- Minimum age restrictions
- Stronger gun trafficking laws and bulk firearm purchase restrictions
- Comprehensive firearm relinquishment law
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 MASSACHUSETTS’S GUN LAWS
WHO CAN HAVE A GUN
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
GUNS IN PUBLIC
HARDWARE & AMMUNITION
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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.
