Colorado Ranks Within Top 10 States for the Strength of its Gun Laws, Per Everytown for Gun Safety’s 2025 State Gun Law Rankings

Everytown's Analysis Shows That 299,000 Lives Could Be Saved Over the Next Decade if Every State Saw the Same Gun Violence Rates as the Nation's Leading Nine States in Gun Safety Policies

DENVER- Everytown for Gun Safety today launched the updated "Gun Law Rankings" for 2025, 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 nine states with the strongest gun safety laws, 299,000 lives could be saved in the next decade. Everytown's analysis found that Colorado rose to number 10 for the strength of its gun laws.

In 2024, gun-sense legislators in Denver took action to pass many common-sense gun safety laws including:

• A critical gun safety bill instituting a state dealer permitting system. This requires retail firearm dealers to obtain a state permit to sell firearms in Colorado, and require firearm dealers and employees to undergo background checks, receive training, and implement security measures;

• A critical policy to expand training requirements for permits to carry concealed handguns in Colorado - a huge step in fostering responsible gun ownership by requiring concealed carry permit holders to complete more extensive safety training, including live fire training;

• Policies to prohibit the carrying of firearms in sensitive spaces, including government buildings, polling places, and all schools, as well as legislation to require secure storage of firearms in cars.

In November, Coloradans also voted to pass a ballot initiative to create an excise tax on gun manufacturers and retailers in Colorado to be allocated for funding for mental health services, school safety measures, gun violence prevention programs, and support services for victims of violence. Colorado is the second state in the country to pass this type of policy.

Over the last five years, Colorado has enacted over 30 gun violence prevention policies, helping the state continue to climb the gun law rankings.

"Colorado continues to take decisive action to combat gun violence, and this ranking validates our lawmakers' ongoing commitment to survivors of gun violence," said Julie Ort, a gun violence survivor and volunteer with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action. "For the last five years, Colorado lawmakers have taken action to pass critical gun violence prevention legislation. In November, Colorado voters voted to pass a second in the nation policy to fund violence prevention efforts through an ammo and firearms excise tax. We look forward to continuing working with lawmakers to prevent gun violence in our state and make our communities safer. "

"The impact of gun violence is personal for many of us in Colorado," said Willa Cohen, a volunteer leader with Denver East High School Students Demand Action chapter. "But we're not running, hiding, or fighting anymore. We're laying the groundwork to make sure our generation is the last generation where gun violence is the leading cause of death for young people in America - one gun safety law at a time."

"Gun laws save lives and states that enact common-sense, bipartisan policies are clearly standing on the side of public safety," said Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President for Law and Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. "As 2025 gets underway, we're doubling down in the states, defending the gains we've made and charting new paths ahead. We can turn the tide on our nation's gun violence crisis, but only if all leaders step up to meet the moment."

"We have handed state legislators a roadmap for keeping their communities safe from gun violence. Now, these lawmakers have a choice to make: Either listen to the vast majority of Americans calling for gun safety laws or cower to a craven gun lobby hellbent on putting our communities at risk," said Monisha Henley, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety. "The strong correlation between the strength of a state's gun laws and its rate of gun deaths confirms the undeniable fact that refusing to take action is putting our lives in peril."

In an average year, 977 people die and 1,392 are wounded by guns in Colorado. Colorado ranks 21 in gun death rates. With an average cost of gun violence at $2,039 per person each year, gun deaths and injuries cost Colorado $11.7 billion each year, of which $156.1 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Colorado is available here.

Highlights from 2025 Gun Law Rankings:

• The top five ranked states are California, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York and Connecticut. Idaho ranks 50th in the nation due to the weakness of its gun laws. Mississippi and Arkansas follow at 49th and 48th, respectively.
• Massachusetts' 2025 gun law ranking improved from 5th to 2nd thanks to the passage of comprehensive gun safety policies, including legislation to increase the minimum age to purchase certain firearms, prohibit untraceable "ghost guns" and auto sears/Glock switches, and prohibit firearms at the state Capitol.
• Maine and Colorado saw their 2025 rankings improve due to the passage of gun safety policies, including background checks and waiting periods in Maine, and a dealer licensing requirement and a prohibition on carrying guns after convictions of violent offenses in Colorado.
• Louisiana's 2025 gun law ranking worsened from 26th to 33rd due to the passage of dangerous legislation to allow permitless carry, which allows people to carry concealed, loaded handguns in public without a permit, criminal history check, or safety training. Louisiana has the second highest rate of gun deaths in the United States, per EveryStat, yet legislators passed laws to further weaken the state's gun safety laws.
• Louisiana was joined in its declining ranking by South Carolina, which also passed permitless carry legislation, leading to a drop from 27th to 31st.

The 2025 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.

Last week, the ATF released a report reinforcing the serious public safety consequences of firearm transfers made without background checks - one of the 50 policies within Everytown's State Gun Law Rankings. New data within the report indicated "that unregulated private sales (without background checks) facilitate the movement of a significant volume of firearms from the legal marketplace to prohibited persons." The full report can be found here.

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 2024, 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 State Gun Law Rankings or gun violence prevention efforts in Colorado, please contact [email protected].

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