Grading the States
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 Law Strength (Ranked) | State | Grade | Gun Death Rate (Ranked) | Gun Death Rate (per 100K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | A | 43 | 9.0 |
| 2 | New Jersey | A | 48 | 5.2 |
| 3 | Connecticut | A- | 45 | 6.7 |
| 5 | Hawaii | A- | 49 | 4.8 |
| 8 | Illinois | A- | 26 | 16.1 |
| 7 | Maryland | A- | 29 | 15.2 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | A- | 50 | 3.4 |
| 4 | New York | A- | 47 | 5.4 |
| 11 | Oregon | B+ | 30 | 14.9 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | B+ | 46 | 5.6 |
| 10 | Washington | B+ | 39 | 11.2 |
| 14 | Colorado | B | 18 | 17.8 |
| 13 | Delaware | B | 23 | 16.6 |
| 12 | Virginia | B | 32 | 14.3 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | B- | 31 | 14.8 |
| 16 | Michigan | C+ | 28 | 15.4 |
| 18 | Minnesota | C+ | 42 | 10.0 |
| 17 | Nevada | C+ | 15 | 19.8 |
| 18 | New Mexico | C+ | 3 | 27.8 |
| 20 | Nebraska | C | 41 | 10.3 |
| 21 | North Carolina | C | 21 | 17.3 |
| 23 | Florida | C- | 34 | 14.1 |
| 22 | Vermont | C- | 38 | 11.9 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | D+ | 36 | 13.5 |
| 38 | Alabama | F | 4 | 26.4 |
| 41 | Alaska | F | 6 | 25.2 |
| 42 | Arizona | F | 17 | 18.3 |
| 50 | Arkansas | F | 8 | 23.3 |
| 34 | Georgia | F | 14 | 20.3 |
| 48 | Idaho | F | 25 | 16.3 |
| 29 | Indiana | F | 16 | 18.4 |
| 32 | Iowa | F | 40 | 11.2 |
| 45 | Kansas | F | 20 | 17.3 |
| 43 | Kentucky | F | 13 | 21.1 |
| 32 | Louisiana | F | 2 | 29.1 |
| 27 | Maine | F | 37 | 12.6 |
| 45 | Mississippi | F | 1 | 33.9 |
| 47 | Missouri | F | 9 | 23.2 |
| 40 | Montana | F | 7 | 25.1 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | F | 44 | 8.3 |
| 37 | North Dakota | F | 22 | 16.8 |
| 25 | Ohio | F | 24 | 16.5 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | F | 12 | 21.2 |
| 28 | South Carolina | F | 11 | 22.4 |
| 44 | South Dakota | F | 33 | 14.3 |
| 38 | Tennessee | F | 10 | 22.8 |
| 30 | Texas | F | 27 | 15.6 |
| 30 | Utah | F | 35 | 13.9 |
| 36 | West Virginia | F | 19 | 17.3 |
| 49 | Wyoming | F | 5 | 26.1 |
| Share | ||||
| Gun Law Strength (Ranked) | State | Grade | Gun Death Rate (Ranked) | Gun Death Rate (per 100K) |
Get in Touch
Want 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 Laws Vs. Gun Deaths
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.
Federal Progress
Despite the steady increase of gun violence in recent years, congressional gridlock coupled with the gun lobby’s influence has continually prevented the federal government from taking significant action to save lives. Following the tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde last spring, however, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which strengthened gun laws through a suite of federal policies and incentives.
This package of lifesaving measures was the first major federal gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, and it is one of only six significant federal gun safety laws in the past 100 years.
The fight for a safer America is far from over—but in 2022, we finally broke the stalemate and took a historic step in the right direction.
1934
The National Firearms ActIn response to violence during Prohibition, this law requires certain firearms to be registered before they are manufactured, sold, or transferred. The NFA still governs machine guns, short-barreled rifles, and silencers.
1938
The Federal Firearms Act1968
The Gun Control Act1994
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban2022
The Bipartisan Safer Communities ActBest & Worst
2022 brought historic highs and disappointing lows in the fight to end gun violence. In many states, gun safety champions supported commonsense measures to keep their communities safe. In others, lawmakers in the pocket of the gun lobby refused to do the same.
Here are the best and worst states of this year’s Gun Law Scorecard.
State Progress
Hate Crimes & Guns
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Violence Intervention
We’re championing the community organizations breaking cycles of violence on the ground.
Gun Laws by State
Explore the ins and outs of gun laws in all 50 states.
Guns & Democracy
Gun safety laws are integral to a safe and free democracy.
Annual Gun Law Scorecard
West VirginiaF- Gun Law Strength Rank36 out of 50
- Gun Death Rate Rank19 out of 50
- Gun Deaths per 100k17.3
- % difference from national average↑18%
What Changed This Year
Allowed people to carry certain loaded long guns in their vehicle