GIFFORDS releases Annual Gun Law Scorecard reflecting that stronger gun laws save lives

WASHINGTON — Today, GIFFORDS Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released its Annual Gun Law Scorecard, which grades and ranks each state on its gun laws, and found that 22 states received an F. The comprehensive, 50-state analysis reflects that states with stronger gun laws are significantly safer, with lower gun death rates and more lives saved. 

California has the strongest gun laws in the nation, which is reflected in its gun death rate that is 42% than the national rate. Wyoming, on the other end of the spectrum, has the weakest gun laws in the nation. In the United States, 46,000 people lose their lives to gun violence every year. If the national gun death rate matched California’s, more than 19,300 lives would have been saved in a single year—and more than 13,000 of those lives saved would be in states that currently receive an F or D.

Visit the Annual Gun Law Scorecard at giffords.org/scorecard.

“Every year, our Scorecard is a reminder of the inconsistency of America’s gun laws—both demonstrating what is possible, and what happens when state leaders fail to save lives. Just yesterday, another school community was subjected to the terror of a mass shooting. Gun violence is now the number one killer of children in the United States, and they are measurably safer in some states than others. That is unacceptable,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “Gun violence is preventable, and the overwhelming majority of Americans, including Republicans, independents, and gun owners, support commonsense solutions. The Gun Law Scorecard is both a resource and road map for elected leaders, activists, and concerned Americans to take action.The country is aligned on this issue. It’s time for our state leaders to catch up.”

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