Map: Which States Implement ‘Foundational’ Gun Control Policies?

A shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., last week — allegedly committed by a 14-year-old gunman who used an AR-15-style gun — killed four people, injured nine more and sent a community reeling.

It’s the state’s 16th mass shooting this year, and one of 27 school shootings in 2024 that caused injuries or deaths, according to Education Week. A recent Harvard Youth Poll found that voters ages 18-29 are more concerned about gun violence than climate change.

As the National Rifle Association outlines on its website, Georgia does not mandate the licensing of gun owners or registration of firearms, and it does not require a permit to purchase or carry a handgun or rifle. Advocacy organization Everytown for Gun Safety outlines five “foundational” gun control measures that could prevent fatalities, including background checks (or permits) for gun purchases; forbidding concealed carry without a permit; “extreme risk” laws that make it possible to use court orders to temporarily take guns from people in crisis (or abusers); rejecting “stand your ground” or “shoot first” policies; and secure storage of firearms and ammunition.

Harvard pediatrician Michael Rosenbaum points to research showing that laws limiting access to firearms and mandating safe storage have been shown to reduce school shootings. Responding to the events in Georgia, candidate JD Vance argued that school security is the missing ingredient, a view that is widely shared. Pew Research found that roughly half of parents believe that security could make a difference, and a majority from both parties believe that mental health screenings would help.

The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence publishes an annual scorecard, giving states grades based on analysis of their existing laws, recent legislation and how their gun mortality rates compare to the national average. All told, 21 states received an “F” in its most recent report. (In 2021, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted that it was a “badge of honor” to receive an F from the Giffords Center’s annual Gun Law Scorecard.)

The maps below offer a state-by-state look at the Giffords grades and where states stand in regard to Everytown’s foundational policies and death rates.



Editor's note: An earlier version of the firearm mortality map inaccurately reflected deaths in some states. This has been corrected.