What's New
A leading gun safety group gave 22 states a grade of F in its yearly analysis of laws and firearm-related deaths.
Giffords Law released its 2024 scorecard Tuesday, showing Massachusetts with the lowest death rate per 100,000 people while Mississippi had the highest. California, New Jersey and Connecticut were among the states with the strictest gun laws.
Why It Matters
Over 46,000 people lose their lives to gun violence each year, Giffords Law said, adding that the country had inconsistent gun laws.
The report was released a day after a fatal school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, which left one student and one teacher dead, and six others injured, along with the suspect.
What To Know
Giffords said that many states passed new gun safety laws in 2024, but 11 states did not pass any new legislation, while some weakened existing laws.
Maine was given the title of "most improved," going from a D- to a C+ for its new waiting period law, expanded background checks and investment in community violence intervention programs. California had the strongest firearm laws, while Massachusetts had the lowest per-100,000 death rate.
The state with the biggest grade drop was South Carolina, which fell from a D+ to an F for its introduction of permitless carry and high death rates.
Mississippi had the highest death rates, however, at 29.4 per 100,000, while Wyoming was seen to have the weakest gun laws of any state for banning local governments from enacting gun safety laws.
Giffords Law said that states that enacted gun safety laws typically saw less violence or gun-related deaths.
Shootings like the one at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin, which received a C grade from Giffords, often highlight disparities in gun regulations, particularly when it comes to children accessing firearms. Another lobby group, Everytown for Gun Safety, found in August that gun violence on school grounds rose by 31 percent last school year.
What People Are Saying
Giffords Executive Director Emma Brown, in a press release: "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."
Democratic Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, on X: "Massachusetts is the safest state in the nation according to [Giffords]'s latest annual Gun Law Scorecard. We need to pass my MASS Act and implement Massachusetts' gun safety laws nationwide."
Democratic Florida Representative Lois Frankel, on X: "Today, [Giffords] gave Florida a C- on its Gun Law Scorecard, a reminder that guns remain the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., with over 3,000 lives lost in Florida each year. I'll keep fighting for common-sense gun safety laws to keep our communities safe."
What's Next
Giffords said it would be watching a 2025 Supreme Court case, Garland v. VanDerStock, which is a gun lobby-backed case discussing whether gun kits that can be turned into ghost guns should be classified as firearms.
Following the shooting in Madison on Monday, President Joe Biden once again called for Congress to act by passing "common sense gun safety laws," including universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. The chance of that happening anytime soon appears slim, with the Republican Party set to control both the House and the Senate come January.
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