Washington state has just passed new gun legislation, and not everyone is happy about it. The new law mandates that individuals buying a gun must obtain a permit (This also applies to anyone who is given a gun). The regulations also state those buying a firearm must undergo a background check and a safety training course. Though some feel these measures are restrictive, they are meant to reduce gun violence by raising the bar on accountability. Attorney General Bob Ferguson states that the law will benefit public safety. The bill won’t go into effect until May 1, 2027.
Active-shooter incidents have become increasingly common in the United States in recent years. According to the independent research group, Gun Violence Archive, there were 689 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2023, more than double the number reported just five years earlier. While not all mass shooting events make national news, when they do, they reliably lead to renewed calls for new gun control measures on Capitol Hill.
24/7 Wall St. Key Points:
- In the face of stalled gun control reform at the federal level in the last decade, state governments have passed hundreds of gun safety laws.
- Gun policy varies considerably across the 50 states, however, and some states have done far more to regulate firearms than others.
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Still, gun control is one of the most polarizing issues in American politics — and while there has been no shortage of initiatives to tighten firearm regulations in Washington, D.C., meaningful reform has remained elusive at the national level. In the absence of federal legislative action, gun policy has been set almost exclusively at the state level for more than a decade.
Since the 2012 mass shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, state governments have cumulatively passed more than 700 gun safety laws — including 88 new laws in 2024 alone. However, approaches to gun control differ considerably across the country, and some states have done far more than others to expand upon existing federal firearm policies.
Using the Annual Gun Law Scorecard from the gun violence prevention group Gifford Law Center, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the strongest gun control laws. The Gun Law Scorecard assigns each state a letter grade rating the strength of their 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 are also from Giffords Law Center. They are not exhaustive, however, and are only broad guidelines.
Only states with gun grades of “B-” or higher are included on this list. States are listed in alphabetical order.
Notably, each of the 20 states on this list have closed the federal background check loophole, which creates opportunities for prohibited persons, such as felons or fugitives, to purchase firearms through private sellers without undergoing a background check. Most of these states have also imposed restrictions on the sale or possession of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. Many states on this list also have mandatory waiting periods and licensing requirements for prospective gun buyers — and all but one state on this list requires gun owners to obtain a special permit to carry a concealed firearm in public. (Here is a look at the states that are ramping up gun control measures.)
Generally, these and other gun control laws aim to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, reduce the likelihood of accidental shootings, and ultimately, save lives. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that deadly gun violence is, in fact, less common in many of these places than it is in much of the rest of the country. Across all 50 states, the median firearm fatality rate is 15.3 deaths for every 100,000 people — and in all but three of the 20 states on this list, the firearm mortality rate is below the national median. (Here is a look at the city with the most gun crime in each state.)
This post was updated on May 23, 2025 to include Washington state’s latest gun law, set to go into effect in 2027.
Why It Matters
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.
1. 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: N/A
- Gun deaths in 2022: 8.6 per 100,000 people — 7th lowest of 50 states (3,484 total)
2. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 17.1 per 100,000 people — 18th highest of 50 states (1,036 total)
3. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 6.9 per 100,000 people — 6th lowest of 50 states (252 total)
4. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 11.9 per 100,000 people — 12th lowest of 50 states (124 total)
5. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 4.5 per 100,000 people — 3rd lowest of 50 states (66 total)
6. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 14.4 per 100,000 people — 21st lowest of 50 states (1,798 total)
7. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 13.6 per 100,000 people — 16th lowest of 50 states (813 total)
8. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 3.7 per 100,000 people — 2nd lowest of 50 states (263 total)
9. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 15.0 per 100,000 people — 24th lowest of 50 states (1,504 total)
10. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 9.6 per 100,000 people — 8th lowest of 50 states (561 total)
11. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 18.9 per 100,000 people — 15th highest of 50 states (618 total)
12. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 5.0 per 100,000 people — 4th lowest of 50 states (468 total)
13. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 27.3 per 100,000 people — 3rd highest of 50 states (571 total)
14. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 5.3 per 100,000 people — 5th lowest of 50 states (1,044 total)
15. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 14.4 per 100,000 people — 21st lowest of 50 states (655 total)
16. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 14.7 per 100,000 people — 22nd lowest of 50 states (1,941 total)
17. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 3.1 per 100,000 people — the lowest of 50 states (37 total)
18. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 12.0 per 100,000 people — 13th lowest of 50 states (84 total)
19. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 14.9 per 100,000 people — 23rd lowest of 50 states (1,316 total)
20. 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
- Gun deaths in 2022: 12.4 per 100,000 people — 15th lowest of 50 states (1,022 total)
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