Everytown Releases 2026 State Gun Law Rankings, Providing Roadmap for Saving 262,000 Lives from Gun Violence Over the Next Decade  

Rankings Make Clear That the Strength of a State’s Gun Laws Influence its Rates of Gun Deaths, Provide Path for Improvements in Public Safety

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund today launched its updated Gun Law Rankings for 2026, an online tool and website that ranks all 50 states based on the strength of their gun laws and catalogs 50 gun safety laws state by state. The rankings show a clear connection between stronger gun safety laws and lower rates of gun deaths. If every state in the country had the gun death rates of the ten states with the strongest gun safety laws, 262,000 lives could be saved in the next decade.

States that have failed to put basic protections into place – the designated “national failures” on Everytown’s ranking scale – have a rate of gun violence more than two and a half times greater than the states that are national gun safety leaders. Everytown’s Gun Law Rankings also show 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. 

For the fifth year in a row, California earned the top spot in Everytown’s ranking system, cementing its title as a National Leader. Idaho came in the last, 50th, rank for the second year in a row. Several states saw ranking changes going into the new year – including Illinois, which moved into second place by strengthening its secure storage laws, and Maine, which enacted a life-saving Extreme Risk Protection Order law via ballot measure; conversely, states like New Hampshire and Florida saw a decrease in standing.

“These rankings provide a roadmap for prevention while exposing precisely which legislatures are failing their constituents – from New Hampshire, which slipped after repealing a life-saving law, to Idaho, which remained in last place for failing to adopt even the most basic protections,” said Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President for Law and Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “We’ve fought too hard for common-sense laws to accept this failure to protect public safety.”

“Every year, this report confirms that strong gun laws are the cornerstone of public safety. Simply put, they save lives,” said Monisha Henley, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Gun homicides are down, and we celebrate the progress made in states like California, while condemning the inaction and repeated steps to dismantle critical gun safety laws in states like Florida and New Hampshire. State policymakers have been handed the tools and the proof that action works, and we will not stop fighting until every community in America is free from the threat of gun violence.”

Highlights from 2026 Gun Law Rankings include:

• The top five ranked states are California (1st), Illinois (2nd), Massachusetts (3rd), New York (4th), and Connecticut (5th). 
• For the fifth year in a row, California maintained its top rank as a leader in gun violence prevention, becoming the first state in the country to prohibit gun dealers from selling pistols that can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons through the simple installation of a “switch” in 2025. 
• For the second year in a row, Idaho ranks 50th in the nation due to its extremely weak gun laws. Mississippi (49th) and South Dakota (48th) follow.
• Alabama, New Mexico and Tennessee rose in the rankings after prohibiting auto sears, while Hawaii and Illinois climbed by strengthening their secure storage laws. 
• Maine rose two spots, from 23rd to 21st, after establishing a process to obtain an Extreme Risk Protection Order via ballot measure.
• New Hampshire saw the greatest rank decrease, dropping four spots from 39th to 43rd following the repeal of its common sense dealer licensing requirement.
• Florida’s rank dropped two spots, from 21st to 23rd, following a reckless court decision impacting the State’s open carry prohibition and the Florida Attorney General refusing to enforce the law.

The 2026 Gun Law Rankings is a project of the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. Everytown’s analysis shows that states with strong gun safety policies, such as background checks on all gun sales and Extreme Risk laws, also known as Red Flag laws, have higher ranks for the strength of their gun laws and see lower rates of gun violence. Meanwhile, states with weaker gun laws, like permitless carry and Shoot First laws, see higher rates of gun violence.

Everytown’s Gun Law Rankings include:

• A unique ranking system that ranks all 50 states based on the strength of their gun laws, looking across 50 different gun policies – from California at number one to Idaho at the very bottom;
• Rankings showing whether a state’s ranking increased or fell since the beginning of 2025, reflecting recent action on gun safety policies across the country; 
• A U.S. map for each gun safety policy indicating which states have adopted that policy; and
• Side-by-side comparisons that provide analysis across policies for all states and across states for all policies.

To speak with an expert about Everytown’s gun law rankings, please contact [email protected].