The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released the latest edition of its Annual Gun Law Scorecard, which grades and ranks each state on the strength of its gun laws.
Delaware received a B for its gun safety laws, which were relatively strong in comparison with most other states.
Delaware’s gun safety laws are the eleventh strongest in the country. While the state already supports universal background checks and domestic violence prevention, it has yet to pass an extreme risk protection order bill or ban military-style weaponry.
Legislation to outlaw military-style firearms and increase the age for purchasing rifles to 21 has been introduced in Delaware.
“Every day in our country, nearly 100 Americans die from gun violence. While this crisis is impacting families in every community in every state, we know its toll disproportionately hits states with weaker gun laws the hardest,” said Robyn Thomas, executive director of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “Year after year, our research shows that states that get serious about passing stronger gun violence prevention laws have a much better chance of reducing the number of deaths linked to firearms.”
Since 2014 the gun death rate has been rising, with gun deaths jumping 8 percent from 2014 to 2015 and another seven percent from 2015 to 2016. That resulted in the deaths of 38,000 people in 2016 – the highest total year for gun deaths since 1993.
The Giffords center came with the merger of two organizations focused on gun-related violence. Gabrielle Giffords, a former Congresswoman and founder of one of the organizations, was seriously injured during a constituent event.
Of the 10 states with the lowest gun death rates, eight have some of the strongest gun laws in the country, receiving a B or better. All eight also have passed private-sale background checks. The eight states are:
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- New York
- Hawaii
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- California
- Washington
The 10 states with the highest gun death rates have some of the weakest gun laws in the nation—with all 10 receiving an F the Gun Law Scorecard. They are:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Montana
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- Arkansas
- South Carolina
Six states – North Dakota, New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah – received additional points for new domestic violence laws.
Five states – New York, Illinois, California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut — received more points for funding urban gun violence intervention and prevention programs, which are remarkably effective at saving lives.
Another state, Oregon, received additional points for enacting an Extreme Risk Protection Order law that empowers families and law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove guns from people proven to be at risk to themselves or others.
