Supreme Court Louis Brandeis said that states "are the laboratories of democracy." The idea being that we should be able to learn which laws (or lack of laws) have a positive or negative impact on society There does seem to be a correlation between states with loose gun laws and higher gun death rates.
(Deseret News)Here are the states with the weakest gun control laws, according to a 2022 report by Everytown for Gun Safety:
Mississippi, 28.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. According to Everytown, Mississippi lacks all five foundational policies, having recently repealed a permit requirement for carrying a concealed weapon in public. The state also leads the nation in gun deaths, with more than double the national average, per the Giffords Law Center. Mississippi does indefinitely bar people with felony convictions from owning guns. (#2 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Idaho, 17.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Idaho has the fourth-highest rate of gun suicides of any state, according to Everytown. The state has weakened gun laws recently, repealing a concealed carry permit requirement, minimum age protections and a ban on public carry after a violent offense. Idaho does not allow guns in K-12 schools and prevents those convicted of a hate crime from having firearms. (#19 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Montana, 20.9 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Montana is tied with Idaho when it comes to gun law strength, according to Everytown, with only four policies in place — none of them foundational. The state doesn’t permit guns in K-12 schools, has a hate crime prohibitor and funds community violence intervention programming in the state budget. (#10 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Arkansas, 22.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Gun deaths increased twice as much in Arkansas (34%) than they did nationwide (17%) in the last decade, according to Everytown. Lawmakers repealed the state’s concealed carry permitting requirement in 2021. Arkansas prohibits public carry at the state capitol or at political protests, in K-12 schools, and bans possession for those with a felony conviction or found to be a danger to self or others. (#9 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
South Dakota, 13.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Of all gun deaths in the state, 80% are the result of suicide. South Dakota doesn’t force colleges and universities to allow concealed carry and prohibits domestic abusers from having guns after a misdemeanor conviction. The state also has a hate crime prohibitor and requires mental health record reporting. (#24 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Wyoming, 25.9 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Between 2010 and 2019, gun deaths in Wyoming increased more than two-and-a-half times the national average and gun suicide increased nearly three times the national average, per Everytown. Wyoming allows school personnel to carry firearms in K-12 schools but does not mandate colleges allow concealed carry. (#4 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Oklahoma, 20.7 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Oklahoma outlawed concealed carry in bars and for those convicted of assault or other misdemeanor convictions. According to Everytown, the state also prevents public carry at the capitol and political protests. (#11 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Arizona, 16.7 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. According to Everytown, Arizona has the lowest household firearm ownership rate of the 13 states with the weakest gun control laws, which could help explain its relatively low gun violence rate. Arizona’s gun deaths rate is still 22% higher than the national average, according to Giffords. Arizona bans gun possession for those with felony convictions, stalker convictions and those found to be a danger to themselves or others. (#16 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
New Hampshire, 8.9 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Nearly 90% of all gun deaths in New Hampshire are the result of suicides, according to Everytown, and the state’s lower-than-average death rate could come from being surrounded by states with tougher control laws. New Hampshire has one foundational policy: It requires that guns be locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition to prevent access to children under the age of 16. (#36 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Missouri, 23.9 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. According to Everytown, St. Louis, Missouri has one of the highest rates of gun murders among all cities in the country. Missouri bans possession by fugitives, and those with a felony or hate crime conviction. State law also requires that law enforcement agencies collect and report data on use of force incidents. (#7 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
Texas — where Tuesday’s elementary school shooting occurred — has the 17th-weakest gun laws in the country, according to Everytown. The same report ranks New York as the state with the third-strongest gun control laws. (#27 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)
New York has 5.3 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, while Texas has 14.2 per 100,000 residents. (#33 in firearm deaths; 2019 statistics)