Everytown for Gun Safety Releases 2024 State Gun Law Rankings, New York is a National Leader for Strong Gun Laws, Ranking Second in the Nation

ALBANY, NY – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety launched the updated “Gun Law Rankings” for 2024, an online tool and website that ranks all 50 states based on the strength of their gun laws and catalogs gun safety laws state by state. This year, Everytown’s state gun law rankings also shows whether states’ rankings increased or decreased over the past year, reflecting progress made by passing common-sense gun safety policies or setbacks as a result of enacting dangerous measures backed by the gun lobby. Everytown’s analysis found that New York continues to rank second in the nation for its comprehensive gun laws. 

New York has some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the country thanks to the resolute leadership of its legislators and the tireless advocacy of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers over the last decade. This includes a first-in-the-nation bill that would provide survivors of gun violence and state authorities a path to hold bad actors in the gun industry accountable and legislation to regulate ghost guns — untraceable, unserialized firearms that pose an increasing threat to the safety of New Yorkers. In response to the Supreme Court’s dangerous decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, New York strengthened the state’s concealed carry licensing laws and established a robust list of sensitive locations where guns may not be carried in the state. In 2023, gun-sense legislators in New York took action to pass gun safety policies including the enactment of legislation to allow Medicaid reimbursement for violence intervention programs and legislation to ensure fair access to victim compensation for survivors and victims’ families. 

“This year’s ranking highlights the work that our volunteers and lawmakers have done over the last decade to make – and keep – New York one of the national leaders in the fight against gun violence,” said Alexis Gevanter, a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re proud of the progress that New York made this last year to strengthen support services for victims and survivors through Medicaid reimbursement for community violence intervention programs and ensuring easier and more equitable access to victim compensation, and we’ll be back at the Capitol this year to keep this momentum going.” 

“When it comes to addressing our country’s gun violence crisis, New York continues to step up and rise to the challenge. Everytown’s ranking reinforces what we’ve known all along: gun safety laws save lives, and our state is leading by example,” said Reem Khalifa, a volunteer leader with New York Students Demand Action. “There’s nothing more urgent to my generation than reducing gun violence and we’ve made a lot of progress toward doing just that in New York, but we won’t stop there. We’ll keep fighting in our state–and nationwide–until young people can live free from the fear of gun violence.” 

In an average year in New York, 939 people die by guns and 1,991 people are wounded. Gun violence costs New York $11.4 billion each year, of which $301.2 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in New York is available here.

To speak with an expert about Everytown’s State Gun Law Rankings or gun violence prevention efforts in New York, please contact [email protected]