Gun Laws Passed in 2013: Nearly Two-Thirds EASE Restrictions and Expand Gun Owners’ Rights

In 2013, nearly every state passed at least one new gun law. Almost two-thirds of those laws loosen restrictions and expand the rights of gun owners.

Since the Sandy Hook shooting, about 1,500 state gun bills have been introduced. Of those, 178 passed at least one chamber of a state legislature and 109 have become law.

Of the 109 bills that were made law, 39 tighten gun restrictions, and 70 loosen them.

The New York Times created detailed graphics that provide specifics on the laws that were passed in each state. Categories the laws fall into include gun permits, public carry, guns in schools, mental health, background checks, assault weapons, nullify federal law, gun access, and lost or stolen firearms.

There is a clear partisan divide; most of the bills that expand gun owners’ rights and ease restrictions are in Republican-controlled states, and those that enacted tougher restrictions are in Democratic-controlled states.

The Wire notes that the partisan split is the reason there weren’t any new gun laws passed at the federal level. When the Senate took up the issue in April, a minority of Republican Senators blocked a package of reforms, and the House never took on the issue.