Fig. 02 · The landscape
State law restrictiveness index · 50 states + DC
The legislative patchwork state by state.
Gun law is not federal. It is fifty separate experiments running simultaneously, each with different controls, different timelines, and different results. The table below ranks each state by its composite restrictiveness score alongside its firearm homicide rate.
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Key observation
States with the strongest gun laws (California, Massachusetts, New Jersey) consistently show lower firearm homicide rates than states with the weakest (Mississippi, Wyoming, Alaska). The correlation is imperfect — Louisiana has few laws and high homicide; Vermont has moderate laws and low homicide — but the pattern is persistent.
Law-strength scores are synthetic composites derived from Giffords Law Center,
Everytown, and RAND rankings. They are directional, not definitive. The underlying
Siegel State Firearm Laws Database tracks 134 provisions across 14 categories.