Edition: U.S. / Global

U.S.

Published: December 10, 2013

State Gun Laws Enacted in the Year After Newtown

About 1,500 state gun bills were introduced in the year after the Newtown massacre.
 178 passed at least one chamber of a state legislature. 109 have become law.

In the 12 months after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., almost every state enacted at least one new gun law, according to a database compiled by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Nearly two-thirds of the new laws ease restrictions and expand the rights of gun owners. Most of those bills were approved in states controlled by Republicans. Those who support stricter regulations won some victories — mostly in states where the legislature and governorship are controlled by Democrats — to increase restrictions on gun use and ownership. Select categories from the table below to see all gun bills that passed at least one chamber of a state legislature.

39 tighten
gun restrictions

Democratic

Mixed control

Republican

Party in control of the state
legislature and the governorship

70 loosen
gun restrictions

Democratic

Mixed control

Republican

Party in control of the state
legislature and the governorship

Note: Some bills fall into multiple categories. The timelines show the dates that the bills first passed each chamber of the state legislature. Two vetoed bills, one in Illinois and another in New Jersey, became law after the vetoes were overridden by the legislatures in those states.

By KAREN YOURISH, WILSON ANDREWS, LARRY BUCHANAN and ALAN McLEAN

Source: The analysis includes laws based on lists from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the National Conference of State Legislatures, as well as data from Open States and the National Rifle Association.

Correction: An earlier version of this chart misstated the effect of provisions of gun laws enacted in two states in 2013. The mental health provision of a North Carolina law and the background check provision of a Missouri law tightened — not loosened — gun restrictions. The earlier version also misstated the permits provision of a Michigan gun law. The law exempts anyone with a federal firearm license from needing a state permit to buy a handgun; it does not allow everyone to buy guns and ammunition made in Michigan without a permit.