Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Home > Legislation > State Legislation

U.S. Supreme Court Decision May Lead to Stronger Gun Laws

The U.S. Supreme Court's Second Amendment decision in D.C. v Heller may have the "unintended consequence" of helping to enact stronger gun laws, according to a report issued by the Brady Center.

In June, the Justices disagreed by the narrowest of margins, 5 - 4, on whether the Second Amendment provides an individual, non-militia based right to bear arms. All nine Justices agreed, however, that a wide variety of gun laws are presumptively constitutional, including restrictions on carrying concealed weapons, guns in schools and other sensitive places, and bans on "dangerous and unusual" weapons.

While the decision gives criminal defendants a legal tool to use to potentially avoid criminal convictions or mitigate their punishments and will inspire the gun lobby to challenge gun laws, it may also clear some of the wedge politics that have blocked the nation from passing sensible gun laws in the future, the report says.

Most U.S. States Have Failing Scores When it Comes to Stopping Criminals and Other Dangerous People From Obtaining Guns

Two-thirds of all states score less than 20 points out of 100. Almost half of all states score 10 points or less out of 100. The state with the strongest gun laws is California with 79 points, followed by New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maryland.

The new state scorecard was released by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and its network of Million Mom March Chapters in partnership with state-based gun violence prevention organizations across the nation.

Click on the map to learn about gun laws in your state and get involved.

Welcome to StateGunLaws.org!

The State Gun Laws web site was created to allow easy access to information, links and action alerts on gun laws and initiatives in each state. You may access this information by clicking on any state above.

Good News from the States
Updated: August 15, 2008

California (08/14/2008)	Assembly Passes Bill to Keep Loaded Guns Out of Cars!
Maryland (08/11/2008)	Bill to Reduce Gun Trafficking Passes in Baltimore City Council!
North Carolina (08/10/2008)	Governor Signs Bill to Close a Critical Loophole!
(08/06/2008)	States Resoundingly Defeat Guns On Campus Legislation!
New York (08/05/2008)	Governor Signs NICS Improvement Bill!