Politics & Government

Report: Connecticut Has Nation's 2nd-Toughest Gun Laws

California ranks No. 1, and Maryland, New York and Massachusetts also make the top 5.

By Patch Editor Corey Fyke

The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence rank Connecticut No. 2 on their list of states with the toughest gun laws in a report released Monday.

The report, titled "2013 Scorecard: Why Gun Laws Matter," ranks Connecticut with an A-, joining New Jersey, Maryland and California with that letter grade. Connecticut's total points scored when following the report's rubric was 70, five points behind No. 1 California. New Jersey was third at 68.5.

Maryland, New York and Massachusetts occupied the next three spots.

"Seven states with the highest grades also have the lowest gun death rates nationwide. Conversely, many states with the weakest gun laws have the highest gun death rates," the report states in its opening section. "While more research is needed to determine the precise relationship, it is clear that the data supports the conclusion that state gun laws and the rate of gun deaths are closely tied."

The report lauded states for taking action when Congress failed to enact any meaningful gun-law reform in April, despite a strong push from the Obama Administration after the the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

"Starting last January, legislators in state houses across the country began introducing a record number of bills to strengthen gun laws. Even states with historically weak gun laws, like Florida, Missouri, and Texas, took action towards sensible gun legislation," the report states. "In fact, twenty-one states enacted new laws to curb gun violence in their communities, with eight of these states passing major reforms—far eclipsing the corporate gun lobby’s limited success in state legislatures in 2013."

Check out the full report by clicking above, or visit smartgunlaws.org.


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