Brady Campaign Rates the States (mine got an F+! Woo hoo!)

Brady Campaign ^ | 03-08-2006

[RogueIsland]

Washington, D.C. - Criminals, youth and other prohibited persons are gaining access to guns with remarkable ease and continue to wreak havoc on communities around the country. And elected officials are doing little to stop them. That’s the lesson of the 2005 Annual Report Cards of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Overall, 32 states received a grade of "D" or "F" for the 2005 report card.

With the leaders of America’s cities crying out for help from either the Federal government or state Capitols; with front page stories providing daily examples of the pain inflicted on communities by the misuse of guns and with major exposes in the news media about how illegal guns are wreaking havoc in our nation’s cities, state legislative leaders who could do something about it continue the recent trend of winking at the gun lobby, doing nothing, and letting the gun lobby and the gun industry it protects get away with murder.

“We have cracked down on library books, cell phone calls, fertilizer purchases and wearing shoes in the airport, but we have done almost nothing, at the state or Federal level, to make it harder for either a terrorist, garden variety armed robber, or young person to get their hands on a handgun,” said Sarah Brady.

Consider these facts:

From 2004 to 2005, only four states changed their “grade” - and three of those grade changes were demotions. And most state legislatures are currently considering firearm related legislation - but the majority of legislation are bills pushed by the gun lobby that threaten to increase firearm violence rather than decrease it. Despite growing awareness of how to stem the tide of illegal guns - by limiting bulk purchases of guns, imposing background checks on every gun purchase and by allowing local municipalities to pass their own measures to stem gun violence - only Illinois enacted important legislation to require background checks at gun shows in 2005. That’s the bad news - but there are positive signs popping up across America like spring blossoms:

In some key political battleground states, like Illinois, Colorado, and Maryland courageous elected leaders and gun violence prevention advocates have challenged the gun lobby and intend to run for office as aggressive supporters of sensible gun laws designed to protect families and children. At least four states are considering state-level assault weapons bans to help assuage the dangers created by the sunset of the Federal ban in September 2004. Other states like California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington state and Illinois are considering measures to stem the tide of illegal guns in their state. These measures will help police solve gun crimes, will hold gun stores accountable and will ensure that guns don’t get into the hands of convicted felons, terrorists, and teenagers. Gun violence prevention advocates and leaders in major urban areas - New York, Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, Columbus, Detroit, Seattle and Los Angeles, among others - are ramping up the pressure on state legislatures to help them fight the easy availability of guns to prohibited purchasers, including youth. The states that saw a grading change include Florida, which went from a “D” to an “F+” as the first state in America to pass a “Shoot First” law, sanctioning the shooting of innocent bystanders in the name of self-defense; Alaska, which went from “D-“ to “F+” for passing a law mandating that private businesses allow guns on workplace property; Kansas, which stripped local governments of the right to regulate firearms and droped from a “C+” to “C-“; and Illinois, which took positive steps to strengthen background checks at gun shows and required child safety locks be sold with new handguns and moved from a “B+” to an “A-.”

The Brady Campaign began grading state gun laws nine years ago. The state scores are available in complete category-by-category detail at www.bradycampaign.org.

[yarddog]

Well Florida got an F+, we need to work hard to make that an F-.

[MikefromOhio]

you know, I can almost hear the sniveling and whining by the moron that had to read this tripe at the actually release of it, if it was covered.

If not, the guy who had to type it up probably sniffed a lot at the states that got an F.....

I wish Ohio would make me proud and get an F....

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

What do we have to do to improve our score in Texas? It is only a D- !

Maybe we could make it "No-Limits" on bagging Lawyers!

[RogueIsland]

Found a master list at http://www.townhall.com/blogs/soapbox/SaveTheGuns.com/story/2006/03/11/189473.html

Sorry for the craptastic formatting.

Rank State Brady Grade

---

1.) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA B
2.) SOUTH CAROLINA D+
3.) FLORIDA F+
4.) MARYLAND A-
5.) TENNESSEE D+
6.) NEW MEXICO F
7.) LOUISIANA F
8.) ALASKA F+
9.) NEVADA D
10.) DELAWARE C
11.) CALIFORNIA A-
12.) ILLINOIS A-
13.) TEXAS D-
14.) ARIZONA D
15.) OKLAHOMA D-
16.) ARKANSAS D
17.) MISSOURI D+
18.) MICHIGAN D+
19.) MASSACHUSETTS A-
20.) GEORGIA D
21.) NORTH CAROLINA C
22.) NEW YORK B+
23.) ALABAMA F
24.) PENNSYLVANIA D+
25.) KANSAS C-
26.) COLORADO D
27.) NEW JERSEY A-
28.) WASHINGTON D+
29.) OHIO D-
30.) INDIANA D
31.) NEBRASKA B-
32.) OREGON C-
33.) MISSISSIPPI F
34.) MONTANA F
35.) CONNECTICUT A-
36.) VIRGINIA C-
37.) WEST VIRGINIA D
38.) IOWA C+
39.) MINNESOTA C-
40.) HAWAII A-
41.) RHODE ISLAND B-
42.) IDAHO F+
43.) KENTUCKY F
44.) UTAH D-
45.) WYOMING F
46.) WISCONSIN C+
47.) SOUTH DAKOTA D
48.) NEW HAMPSHIRE D-
49.) VERMONT D-
50.) MAINE D-
51.) NORTH DAKOTA D

[holymoly]

I tried to go to the site where they list states grades. It's in a pdf file, which my computer hates.

Forgive me if this has already been answered.

Go to the Brady Bunch website.

On the left of the screen, you see (in all caps):

STATE LEGISLATURES ARE FAILING TO PROTECT KIDS FROM THE DANGERS OF ILLEGAL GUNS

Below this is a drop-down box. Select your state from the list, and press the "Go" button.

[strange1]

Michigan rates a "D+". I pray SB 1046 passes (castle doctrine/stand your ground), then perhaps we'll rate an "F", as in "F Off, Sarah Brady".

I did my part, I got my CPL when I was first able to. I wonder what our score would be if you subracted Detroits murders from the equation?

[Past Your Eyes]

NH got a D minus. We'll have to try harder.

[Past Your Eyes]

Look at some of those states that got the As. I bet you can feel real safe from gun violence in all of those places.
/s

[IronJack]

only four states changed their “grade” - and three of those grade changes were demotions

Then let's find the knuckleheads in the fourth state and slap some sense into them!

[investigateworld]

Thanks.

Oregon is a C- state? ... but we're 'shall issue' state and one can own a machine gun here.
I'm complaining to the Principle (did I spell it right?)

[Lancey Howard]

Hmmm. Pennsylvania got a D+ .... Not good enough.
Hopefully someday we can get the Brady Bunch to give us an 'F'.

[winner3000]

(...but we have done almost nothing, at the state or Federal level, to make it harder for either a terrorist, garden variety armed robber, or young person to get their hands on a handgun)

We know how much the Brady folks care about the terrorist threat...hahaha

[eXe]

Whoohoooo..

Nevada Receives a "D" on Gun Laws!

No wonder I like it here so much.. lol

[SuzyQue]

I wonder if that's possible. I think there may be too many variables for an accurate picture.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Minnesota got a C-

How embarrassed am I?

[osagebowman]

Well, MO is a D+ I'm sorry to say. It's the permit to purchase handgun issued by the county sheriff; been that way for many, many years, so looks like it will be hard to improve and earn that coveted 'F'.

[Dianna]

Ahhh, good old Kentucky gets an F! And as a bonus here is what else I learned...

Last week, the Kentucky State Senate took a step in the wrong direction when they passed SB 38, a Shoot First bill. This horrible piece of legislation will make Kentucky a much more dangerous place. If it passes the State House, this legislation would make it legal for a gun owner to shoot and kill another person if they feel threatened -- even in a public place! We must take action immediately to stop this bill in the State House and keep it from becoming law! Click here to take action today.

Heck, it ought to become nice and civil around here soon!

[MIchaelTArchangel]

You still have work to do to receive an F- from Bizzaroville.

[Proud Conservative2]

My state is a D+....I want an F :(

[SuzyQue]

I'm jealous. Texas got a D-. Darn!