State Gun Law Report Cards
The Brady Campaign

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March, and in partnership with independent state gun violence prevention groups, highlighted the progress made in its efforts to protect children from gun violence.

Research from the Centers for Disease Control shows an encouraging decrease in the number of children killed by guns. However, while some states have successfully strengthened their gun laws and blocked efforts by the gun lobby to weaken existing laws, a number of states continue to drag their feet on gun safety measures, putting children in danger.

The report cards provide a resource for understanding how well or how poorly each state has worked toward the goal of preventing gun violence. The state report cards addressed the following:

The status of state action on:
Sale/transfer of guns to juveniles
Safe storage and gun owner accountability
Childproof guns and gun safety design standards
The Brady Background Check at gun shows
Carrying concealed weapons (CCW)
Local government authority to regulate guns
Rates of child gun deaths
Gun trafficking: Problem states that affect the rest of the nation.
Actions that each state should take to prevent gun violence and improve its grade.
Eleven states won Sensible Safety Stars for protecting children from gun violence last year. Sensible Safety Star states heeded the concern of their residents by resisting efforts to weaken common sense laws and by enacting laws that protect children from guns.

Unfortunately, once again 29 states received grades of D or F in this year's report card. Not surprisingly, many of these states have child and teen firearm death rates that are higher than the national average. For example, the average firearms death rate of youth in the eight states that received an F grade was 33 percent higher than the average firearms death rate for the 10 states that received an A or a B.

Since the Brady Campaign began grading state gun laws six years ago, the number of young people killed by guns nationwide has dropped from an average of 16 per day to eight (based on the most recent available data). During the same period, the Centers for Disease Control reported a 48 percent reduction in the firearms death rate per 100,000 children and teens.


State Gun Law Grades - 2002
State Grade State Grade
Alabama F Montana F
Alaska D- Nebraska B-
Arizona D* Nevada D
Arkansas D New Hampshire D+
California A-* New Jersey A-*
Colorado C-* New Mexico D+*
Connecticut A-* New York B+
Delaware C North Carolina C
Florida D+ North Dakota D
Georgia D Ohio D+
Hawaii A- Oklahoma D-
Idaho F+ Oregon C-
Illinois B+ Pennsylvania D+
Indiana D- Rhode Island B-
Iowa C+ South Carolina C-*
Kansas C+ South Dakota D
Kentucky F Tennessee D+
Louisiana F Texas D-
Maine F Utah D-
Maryland A Vermont D-
Massachusetts A- Virginia C-
Michigan D+ Washington D+
Minnesota C+* West Virginia D
Mississippi F Wisconsin C+*
Missouri C* Wyoming F

* Denotes a Sensible Safety Star for 2002

Sorry about the table information, here's the link
http://www.kmiz.com/news/headlines/173896.html

Ah, Idaho gets an F+! Considering many elements of their grading scale I hope it stays that way for the rest of my life!

IDShooter

Notice all the carry states failed? And all the rabid anti-gun state passed - these people are so transparent it's funny:D

IDShooter
I agree leave us right there- funny the past year I've not heard of any children getting killed by guns? Have you? Only gang bangers in Biose.

Interesting!

As an Idaho Hunter Safety Instructor, all the information I've received the last few years indicates that we've entered into one of the safest periods of time here in Idaho regarding firearms related injuries and deaths.... maybe I'm just not getting the right information?

Methinks Idaho is a great place to live and die! I'll take my chances in an F+ state. Thank you very much!

Later,

Marshall

Our State legislature has just started for the new year and the proposed laws for CCW have started again. This was passed before and was on the Govenors desk but then Columbine occured and he thought it best to let it die. Since then we have had a Democratic controlled State Senate and nothing could get done. This year the Republicans are the majority and our Republican Govenor wants a state wide CCW law. I believe that this will be the year. Also, a proposal has been introduced to prevent counties ( such as Denver or Boulder) having more strict laws then the State. This was als done just before Columbine but our Govenor also let it die.

It's no wonder I love New Hampshire and Vermont.:D

I'm very hurt that Texas only got a D-. I just may have to move to Idaho.

Was just driving to the range today with a pile of rifles in the cab and backpack with several pistols, and thinking what a wonderful state it is that I can do such a thing and not be harassed by the cops if I was pulled over.

California an "A", huh? Guess the gang members will all read that and stop shooting each other.

How ironic that some of the states with the highest grades have reputations for the worst gun violence! And states with good CCW laws, which statistically tend to to lower gun violence, don't score well.
One of the reasons I moved to Idaho is because it is safer for children!
I am afraid that, if the influx of liberal Californians continues, Idaho may not be an F+ forever, though. No offence to those intelligent people who happen to live in California;)!
Anyway, the insanity of the HCI people continues to boggle my mind! ID:rolleyes:

I find it utterly shameful that my home state got a passing grade (C+) from this bunch. Unfortunately, our liberal trial-lawyer do-gooder of a governor got re-elected in Nov., so it will be at least another fours years before we're going to make any progress towards fixing this mess.
Mark

F+? What's an F+??? I thought F meant "Failed". How can you kind of fail? I guess the bleeding heart liberals wouldn't want ID to have self esteem problems or something.

I'm disappointed in CO. We should have failed. If not for the "California in Colorado" area (ie Boulder/Denver) we would have failed too. I tried my best...

Hmmm, Michigan only got a D+!!!!!!!! I'm sure our new governor (Jennifer Granholm) would like to change that score.

Never thought I'd say it but that D+ is just too good. Moving to Idaho sounds great to me. Anybody want to split some costs on moving vans? Or, get together for a good old fashioned wagon train? Should be a well armed and safe group!;)

Hey I just had a great tought -we all need to send HCI a thank you letter for giving ID an "F" - that should really piss them off!!!:D

Well I guess we just got our "F" for next year- Two murders in Boise area this weekend. No Children though!! :(

Perhaps I should send HCI a note about our 20,000 plus CCW holders here in Alaska. Perhaps I should also mention that Alaska has chosen to give reciprosity to ALL states that allow CCW so that their fine citizens can enjoy the same liberty while visiting our state.

My hope would be to improve that lousy D- to a F!

Scotty

1st time in my life I've been DELIGHTED to see an "F". Curious that while Maine has an extremely high "guns per capita" figure, it also has one of the lowest crime rates. Imagine that!

No CCW and mandatory handgun registration in the largest city in the state, and all we got was a B-. I think the move to WY with an "F" and no state tax on personal or business income is making more sense every day.

i'm offended, wisconsin got a c+!!! i live here and can't figure out how that happend.

any of you guys come up with ways to get that F+ revised to a F-

Hi, Gents:
I wonder how they'd rate us up here in Canada. Concealed carry is extremely difficult, but 18 year-olds can buy anything with a license, including handguns, and there's no provincial or municipal laws affecting ownership. The punks are shooting each other at a pretty good rate in a couple of the big cities. Probably a B, just to make us look good.

Bye
Jack

Thank God we are not like the jerks who live in the bordering state of maryland! I dont even honor it with a capitol letter mind you. I know most of you have posted over a yr. ago but was surfing and found this related thread and just thought I would say I would like to see West Virginias D turn into an F-!! I love it if Ted Kennedy would get caught up in some illegal scheme or something. He and half of his relatives are or have been under suspicion of DUI or Rape or Murder. What a Great Family ! YEAH RIGHT NOT A CHANCE WHAT A PASSEL OF LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I nearly lost my job (LEO) when I went to Denver and testified for the CCW proposal in 95. :mad:
This list holds no suprises. :mad:
This just showes that prejudice is alive and well in the USA. :rolleyes:

IL got a B+, ugh, I need to get the heck outa here.

Joe

I am sorry to hear that Alaska only got a D-. What can we do to raise that score to at least an F. F- would be better, but one can only take one step at a time.

Alaskans,
I think if the grade was given today, we would probably graded an F. The original was made quite sometime ago and I believe it was before the State decided we did not need a CCW to carry. Given that change in administration alone, I think our grade would change.

Funny how they ignore the low crime rate, low child death rate, of the "poorly" rated states, Thank God I live in an F-rated state.

Up here in Maine we're getting more and more transplants from the A-/B+ states to our south and west, ostensibly because they love the "lower crime rate, etc., etc.". Too often their political and socioeconomic views are a large part of the problems in the home state they're leaving (and they rarely recognize this fact!). I've got to wonder how long it'll take them to get our wonderful F rating "raised" to more politically correct (for them) A or B.

Hobbyguymaine/Joe/Oldwindbag

I'm not sure why AZ only got a D; we need to try harder. But grading states like they're a bunch of schoolchildren?? How arrogant!!!

What always amazes me when they spout they're "statistics" and scare tactics is that we lose more children to pool drownings here in Phoenix alone than this country does to firearms accidents every year. But I'm sure the Brady zombies don't care -- Their slogan is, and will always be, "We hate guns and you should too!"

Now, what can we do to earn an F?

Have our legislaturer's pass a bill requiring every houshold to contain at least one firearm for protection against illegals.

VERY interesting. Having lived mostly in D and F states, I find it odd that only in the A state, California, have I ever had the necessity to pull a gun, and that was at my own front door! Maine is great, and so very polite, so is Florida and Texas too. Long live the "failing" grades!!!!!

Larry

Aw man! The Keystone State only rated a D+. I guess we'll have to try harder to get that F grade.