Does Your State Pass or Fail on Gun Safety?

Another tragic shooting has occurred in America. A Florida State University student has been arrested and is accused of opening fire on the university campus, killing two people and injuring six others on Thursday, April 17, 2025. The shooting is the sixth mass shooting to occur in the state and the 81st mass shooting in America this year.

According to the Gifford Law Center, “fewer people die from gun violence in states that care enough to pass gun safety laws.” For the past 14 years, the gun violence prevention group has been tracking the gun death rate in America by state and comparing it to each state’s gun laws. The data shows that year after year, the states with stricter gun laws have fewer deaths by firearms. For example, the five worst offenders with the poorest rated gun laws are Wyoming, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Idaho. Each of these states falls in the top 20 in the nation for the number of gun deaths. The highest gun death rate in the country goes to Mississippi, with 29.4 deaths per 100,000 people. Mississippi’s gun laws rank 43rd in the country according to the report. (Also see which states have the worst gun trafficking problems.)

24/7 Wall St. identified the strength of every state’s gun control laws by reviewing the Annual Gun Law Scorecard from the Gifford Law Center. The Gun Law Scorecard assigns each state a letter grade rating the strength of its firearm laws. Grades are current as of December 2024 and range from “A,” for the states with the strongest laws, to “F,” for the states with the weakest. Gun laws noted in this story, also from Giffords Law Center, are a brief summary and do not represent every state law. We’ve listed the states alphabetically in our list.

(This article was updated on April 20, 2025, to reflect recent news regarding the mass shooting that occurred at Florida State University on April 17, 2025.)

Why It Matters Now

The 81st mass shooting of 2025 occurred in America last week. The number of fatalities attributable to gun violence has been rising for years in the United States. While most states have done little to regulate guns and reduce the likelihood of fatal violence, others have cumulatively passed hundreds of gun safety laws in recent years. In the parts of the country that have adopted a hands-off approach to gun control, firearm-related death rates tend to be far higher than in the places where guns are more tightly regulated.

Here is every state’s gun law grade:

Alabama

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Alaska

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Arizona

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Arkansas

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to in-state databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

California

• Gun law strength grade: A
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: None

Colorado

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no firearm licensing requirements

Connecticut

• Gun law strength grade: A
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases

Delaware

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements

Florida

• Gun law strength grade: C-
• Notable gun controls: Mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Georgia

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Some open carry restrictions, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Hawaii

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No safe storage laws or restrictions on bulk ammunition purchases

Idaho

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Illinois

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: Limited safe storage laws and no restrictions on bulk firearm purchases

Indiana

• Gun law strength grade: D-
• Notable gun controls: Some open carry restrictions, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Iowa

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Child access prevention laws, some domestic violence gun laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Kansas

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Kentucky

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Louisiana

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Some domestic violence gun laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Maine

• Gun law strength grade: C+
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Maryland

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No licensing requirements for long guns, limited domestic violence laws

Massachusetts

• Gun law strength grade: A
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases

Michigan

• Gun law strength grade: B-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases

Minnesota

• Gun law strength grade: B
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases

Mississippi

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Missouri

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Some open carry restrictions, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Montana

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Some domestic violence gun laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Nebraska

• Gun law strength grade: C-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, firearm licensing requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, permitless concealed carry

Nevada

• Gun law strength grade: B-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements

New Hampshire

• Gun law strength grade: D-
• Notable gun controls: Domestic violence gun laws, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

New Jersey

• Gun law strength grade: A
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: Gaps in laws pertaining to assault weapons and ghost guns

New Mexico

• Gun law strength grade: B-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no firearm licensing requirements

New York

• Gun law strength grade: A
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases

North Carolina

• Gun law strength grade: C-
• Notable gun controls: Concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements

North Dakota

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Some domestic violence gun laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Ohio

• Gun law strength grade: D-
• Notable gun controls: Reporting for lost or stolen firearms
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Oklahoma

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Oregon

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, ban on high capacity magazines, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no waiting period for firearm purchases

Pennsylvania

• Gun law strength grade: B
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements

Rhode Island

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no firearm licensing requirements

South Carolina

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

South Dakota

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Tennessee

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Some open carry restrictions, domestic violence gun laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Texas

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Required reporting of mental health records to federal databases, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Utah

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Domestic violence gun laws, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Vermont

• Gun law strength grade: B-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Virginia

• Gun law strength grade: B+
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements

Washington

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No firearm licensing requirements

West Virginia

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: Domestic violence gun laws
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

Wisconsin

• Gun law strength grade: C
• Notable gun controls: Concealed carry permit requirements
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements

Wyoming

• Gun law strength grade: F
• Notable gun controls: No concealed carry in bars
• Notable gun rights: No universal background check laws, no assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, permitless concealed carry

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