When It Comes to Gun Control, These States Don’t Mess Around

There have been 101 mass shootings in the United States since the start of 2025. Mass shootings, in which four or more people are injured or killed, have become increasingly common across America. In an effort to staunch the flow of violence and create safer cities, many states are beginning to crack down on gun control and implement more restrictive measures. Recently, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 3 into law. This bill bans the manufacturing, sale, and purchase of most semi-automatic guns with detachable magazines and will come into effect in August 2026. Although the bill includes various exemptions and allows semi-automatic gun ownership if gun owners first pass a gun safety test, the bill also stands as one of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. On the other side of the country, in Connecticut, politicians are also looking to enact restrictions: specifically, legislation that would allow gun manufacturers, distributors, and sellers to be sued if they are not taking reasonable measures to stop gun sales to traffickers, people trying to convert their guns into illegal weapons, or people who might become violent. (These states have the worst gun trafficking problem, and it’s costing them millions.)

While there is numerous gun control legislation on the horizon, 24/7 Wall St. wanted to take a deeper dive into existing legislation to understand which states across America have the strongest gun control laws. To do so, we used data from the Gifford Center’s Annual Gun Law Scorecard. The scorecard grades each state on their gun control laws, with the Gifford Center explaining its methodology: “Policies are assigned point values based on effectiveness, points are tallied to determine grades and rankings, and grades are compared to CDC gun death data.” We listed the 16 states with a score of “B” or higher, and B- to F grades were excluded. The states are listed in alphabetical order. Additional information on what changed in 2024, as well as gun rights and laws, was also sourced from the Gifford Center and independently verified.

This previously published article was updated in April 2025 to provide new Gifford Center updates and to illuminate efforts to create more stringent gun control policies nationwide. 

Why It Matters Now

The number of fatalities attributable to gun violence has been rising for years in the United States. While most states have done little to reduce the likelihood of gun violence, others have cumulatively passed hundreds of gun safety laws. In many of these same places, deaths resulting from gun violence are far less common than in other parts of the country. Although critics of laws like the one being introduced in Colorado say that the measures are “frivolous” and can put firearm companies out of business with a single lawsuit, the truth is that our country is still not prioritizing citizen safety over profits. At a time when gun violence prevention groups are losing federal funding, speaking up about the importance of effective gun control legislation is more important than ever — without it, our communities, businesses, and the people who depend on them will suffer.

Here are the U.S. states with the strongest gun control policies: 

1. California

• Gun law strength grade: A
• What changed in 2024?: Codified an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, expanded gun relinquishment procedures, enacted a safe storage law
• 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, ghost gun reforms, public carry laws, ammunition regulation
• Notable gun rights: N/A
• Gun death rate: 8.0 per 100,000 people — ranked 44th out of 50 states

2. Colorado

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Enacted gun dealer regulations, prohibited guns at polling places, created a sustainable source of funding for gun safety efforts through an excise tax
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, significant local regulation, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, concealed carry permit requirements, extreme risk protection orders
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no firearm licensing requirements, no microstamping, no open carry regulations
• Gun death rate: 16.6 per 100,000 people — ranked 20th out of 50 states

3. Connecticut

• Gun law strength grade: A
• What changed in 2024?: Invested $8 million in community violence intervention programs, ensured juvenile records are available for background checks
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, certain domestic violence gun laws, bans on some or all assault weapons, ban on high capacity magazines, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases, no handgun design safety standards
• Gun death rate: 6.2 per 100,000 people — ranked 45th out of 50 states

4. Delaware

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Required a permit to purchase a gun, expanded ammunition regulations, invested nearly $3 million in community violence intervention programs
• 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, lost and stolen firearm reporting, gun industry accountability law
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, no open carry regulations, no relinquishment procedures
• Gun death rate: 12.0 per 100,000 people — ranked 39th out of 50 states

5. Hawaii

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Raised the minimum age to purchase ammunition to 21
• 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, child access prevention laws, ghost gun restrictions
• Notable gun rights: No safe storage laws or restrictions on bulk ammunition purchases, no microstamping requirements
• Gun death rate: 4.9 per 100,000 people — ranked 46th out of 50 states

6. Illinois

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Invested $150 million in community violence intervention programs
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, extreme risk protection orders, 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, no restrictions on bulk firearm purchases, no strong child access prevention laws, lack of firearm access restrictions for people convicted of most violent misdemeanors
• Gun death rate: 13.5 per 100,000 people — ranked 32nd out of 50 states

7. Maryland

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Invested $10 million in community violence intervention programs, enacted a gun industry accountability law, created the Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention
• 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, location restrictions, ghost gun regulations
• Notable gun rights: No licensing requirements for long guns, limited domestic violence laws
• Gun death rate: 12.3 per 100,000 people — ranked 37th out of 50 states

8. Massachusetts

• Gun law strength grade: A
• What changed in 2024?: Banned ghost guns, prohibited guns at polling places and government buildings, strengthened existing extreme risk protection order law, invested $48 million in community violence intervention programs
• 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, safe storage laws, extreme risk protection orders
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases, no victims’ access to justice law, no comprehensive firearm relinquishment law
• Gun death rate: 3.7 per 100,000 people — ranked 50th out of 50 states

9. Minnesota

• Gun law strength grade: B
• What changed in 2024?: Banned straw purchases, invested $14 million in community violence intervention programs, created the Domestic Violence and Firearms Surrender Taskforce
• 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, certain waiting period laws
• Notable gun rights: No high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no permit-to-purchase for long guns, no lost or stolen firearm reporting, no gun industry accountability laws
• Gun death rate: 8.9 per 100,000 people — ranked 43rd out of 50 states

10. New Jersey

• Gun law strength grade: A
• What changed in 2024?: Invested $15 million in community violence intervention programs
• 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, child access prevention laws
• Notable gun rights: Gaps in laws pertaining to assault weapons and ghost guns, gaps in minimum age and victims’ access to justice laws, no firearm relinquishment laws
• Gun death rate: 4.6 per 100,000 people — ranked 49th out of 50 states

11. New York

• Gun law strength grade: A
• What changed in 2024?: Strengthened existing gun industry accountability law, invested $105 million in community violence intervention programs
• 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, microstamping requirements, ghost gun law
• Notable gun rights: No waiting period for firearm purchases
• Gun deaths in 2022: 4.7 per 100,000 people — ranked 48th out of 50 states

12. Oregon

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Created the Task Force on Community Safety and Firearm Suicide Prevention, invested $10 million in community violence intervention programs
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, ban on high capacity magazines, firearm licensing requirements, concealed carry permit requirements, ghost gun law
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no open carry regulations, no strong gun trafficking laws
• Gun death rate: 14.2 per 100,000 people — ranked 26th out of 50 states

13. Pennsylvania

• Gun law strength grade: B
• What changed in 2024?: Invested more than $56 million in community violence intervention programs
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, concealed carry permit requirements, gun dealer regulation, disarming procedures, partial state firearms sales record retention
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, no open carry regulations
• Gun death rate: 13.6 per 100,000 people — ranked 31st out of 50 states

14. Rhode Island

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Enacted a safe storage law
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, extreme risk protection orders, ban on high capacity magazines, mandatory waiting period for some or all firearm purchases, concealed carry permit requirements, minimum age laws, certain domestic violence gun laws
• Notable gun rights: No assault weapon bans, no firearm licensing requirements, no handgun-design safety standards, no local authority to regulate firearms
• Gun death rate: 4.8 per 100,000 people — ranked 47th out of 50 states

15. Virginia

• Gun law strength grade: B+
• What changed in 2024?: Banned machine gun conversion devices, invested more than $72 million in community violence intervention programs
• Notable gun controls: Universal background checks for some or all firearms, lost and stolen firearms reporting, bans on some or all assault weapons, concealed carry permit requirements, state database background checks
• Notable gun rights: No high capacity magazine ban, no waiting period for firearm purchases, no firearm licensing requirements, no bulk firearm purchase restrictions, no ammunition sale regulations
• Gun death rate: 13.8 per 100,000 people — ranked 29th out of 50 states

16. Washington

• Gun law strength grade: A-
• What changed in 2024?: Improved gun dealer regulations, enacted a lost and stolen firearm reporting law, invested $8 million in community violence intervention programs
• 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, child access prevention laws, ghost gun law
• Notable gun rights: No firearm licensing requirements, no ban on assault weapons, no safe storage laws, broad open carry regulations
• Gun death rate: 13.0 per 100,000 people — ranked 33rd out of 50 states

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