Policy

STATE REPORT
CARD

Giffords Law Center grades all 50 states on the strength of their gun laws. States with stronger laws have dramatically lower gun death rates.

10.5

gun deaths per 100k

Average in A & B grade states (16 states; C grades excluded)

gun deaths per 100k

Average in D & F grade states (28 states; C grades excluded)

Grade Scale

AA-B+BB-C+CC-DD-F

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50 states

State Grades

CACaliforniaA7/100k

CTConnecticutA5.8/100k

HIHawaiiA3.7/100k

ILIllinoisA12.4/100k

MAMassachusettsA3.8/100k

NJNew JerseyA4/100k

NYNew YorkA4.4/100k

COColoradoA-15.3/100k

DEDelawareA-11.8/100k

MDMarylandA-11.6/100k

OROregonA-14.2/100k

RIRhode IslandA-4.6/100k

WAWashingtonA-11/100k

VAVirginiaB+12.8/100k

MNMinnesotaB9.8/100k

PAPennsylvaniaB11.9/100k

MIMichiganB-11.9/100k

NMNew MexicoB-26.6/100k

NVNevadaB-17.2/100k

VTVermontB-10.6/100k

MEMaineC+11.9/100k

WIWisconsinC12.1/100k

FLFloridaC-12.7/100k

NCNorth CarolinaC-16.3/100k

NENebraskaC-10.9/100k

INIndianaD-17.2/100k

AKAlaskaF24.4/100k

ALAlabamaF23.7/100k

ARArkansasF20.6/100k

AZArizonaF16.9/100k

GAGeorgiaF17.6/100k

IAIowaF11.8/100k

IDIdahoF15.9/100k

KSKansasF15.2/100k

KYKentuckyF18.5/100k

LALouisianaF22.9/100k

MOMissouriF19.6/100k

MSMississippiF28/100k

MTMontanaF20.2/100k

NDNorth DakotaF12.2/100k

NHNew HampshireF10.2/100k

OHOhioF14.6/100k

OKOklahomaF19.1/100k

SCSouth CarolinaF19.5/100k

SDSouth DakotaF17.3/100k

TNTennesseeF19.8/100k

TXTexasF13.9/100k

UTUtahF13.3/100k

WVWest VirginiaF15.3/100k

WYWyomingF23.4/100k

Detailed Data

State	Grade	Deaths/100k	Permit	BG Private	Red Flag	Safe Storage	AWB
CACalifornia	A	7	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
CTConnecticut	A	5.8	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
HIHawaii	A	3.7	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
ILIllinois	A	12.4	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
MAMassachusetts	A	3.8	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
NJNew Jersey	A	4	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
NYNew York	A	4.4	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
COColorado	A-	15.3	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
DEDelaware	A-	11.8	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
MDMaryland	A-	11.6	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
OROregon	A-	14.2	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
RIRhode Island	A-	4.6	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
WAWashington	A-	11	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
VAVirginia	B+	12.8	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓
MNMinnesota	B	9.8	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓
PAPennsylvania	B	11.9	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
MIMichigan	B-	11.9	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
NMNew Mexico	B-	26.6	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗
NVNevada	B-	17.2	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗
VTVermont	B-	10.6	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗
MEMaine	C+	11.9	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗
WIWisconsin	C	12.1	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
FLFlorida	C-	12.7	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
NCNorth Carolina	C-	16.3	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
NENebraska	C-	10.9	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
INIndiana	D-	17.2	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
AKAlaska	F	24.4	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
ALAlabama	F	23.7	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
ARArkansas	F	20.6	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
AZArizona	F	16.9	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
GAGeorgia	F	17.6	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
IAIowa	F	11.8	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
IDIdaho	F	15.9	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
KSKansas	F	15.2	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
KYKentucky	F	18.5	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
LALouisiana	F	22.9	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
MOMissouri	F	19.6	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
MSMississippi	F	28	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
MTMontana	F	20.2	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
NDNorth Dakota	F	12.2	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
NHNew Hampshire	F	10.2	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
OHOhio	F	14.6	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
OKOklahoma	F	19.1	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
SCSouth Carolina	F	19.5	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
SDSouth Dakota	F	17.3	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
TNTennessee	F	19.8	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
TXTexas	F	13.9	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
UTUtah	F	13.3	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
WVWest Virginia	F	15.3	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
WYWyoming	F	23.4	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

State law data per Giffords Law Center 2025 Annual Gun Law Scorecard, with corrections verified against state statute.

What Do These Grades Measure?

Giffords grades state gun laws on 50+ policy factors, including universal background checks, permit requirements, waiting periods, red flag laws, safe storage requirements, assault weapons restrictions, and more. Higher grades reflect stronger legal protections — and, consistently, lower rates of gun death.

Full methodology at giffords.org

Key Finding

24 states received an F grade in 2023. These states contain roughly 40% of the U.S. population — and average nearly three times the gun death rate of A-grade states.

Push Your State

Sources: Averages derived from KFF 2024 per-state firearm death rates (gunDeathRatePer100k) on this site, grouped by Giffords Law Center 2025 grade (C-grade states excluded; 20 A/B states, 25 D/F states). Rates are age-adjusted per 100,000 population (2000 U.S. standard); underlying source: CDC WONDER via KFF State Health Facts: kff.org/other/state-indicator/firearms-death-rate-per-100000/.