MAINE, USA — Maine received a less-than-fair grade for protecting its people from gun violence.
An annual study by Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence ranked all 50 states on their gun laws. Maine was given an "F" in the study’s latest edition of the Annual Gun Law Scorecard—along with 26 other states.
The study shows that states with robust gun laws have lower gun deaths and save more lives. Maine received an "F" due to its failure to pass "any significant gun legislation." In 2022, the study revealed that 178 people in Maine died from gun violence. Meanwhile, 2021 was a record-breaking year for gun violence, with 48,830 killed by guns in America.
American families have experienced some of the most horrific mass shootings, many involving innocent children in schools, like in Uvalde and most recently Nashville.
Peter Ambler, the executive director of Giffords said, "This violence takes a devastating toll on our communities. Many states listened to their citizens and passed lifesaving gun safety laws, while too many others listened to the gun lobby and passed laws that will undoubtedly endanger their communities."
Ambler said the scorecard should remind states of the work needed to protect its citizens.
"The Gun Law Scorecard should be both a resource and roadmap for elected leaders, activists, and concerned citizens to take action."
He recommends requiring background checks and gun owner licensing for all gun purchasers. As well as funding community violence intervention programs. Ambler said these "are all policies that can reverse the growing gun death rate."
Since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, nearly every single state has passed a gun safety law, with more than 525 enacted nationwide.