According to the Giffords Law Center’s annual Gun Law Scorecard, Ohio isn’t exactly the safest state in the nation.
Released Feb. 17, the Scorecard grades states on their gun safety initiatives and compares those with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data on gun-related deaths.
For 2021, Ohio earns a “D” grade on the annual list, ranking 25th of the 50 states for gun law effectiveness and 22nd for gun-related deaths.
A chart on the Scorecard shows that in Ohio, like in other low-rated states, gun-related deaths increase with lax gun laws. Giffords Law Center reports that in Ohio, there are 13.32 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people.
Giffords Law Center writes the following about the Buckeye State:
Ohio has significant room for improvement with regard to gun safety and recently expanded its dangerous Stand Your Ground law. The state has the 22nd-highest gun death rate. To save lives from gun violence, Ohio legislators should require universal background checks, implement an extreme risk law, strengthen domestic violence protections, and enact legislation prohibiting violent hate crime offenders from accessing guns.
Ohio’s neighboring states largely fare just as badly. Indiana also has a “D,” while Kentucky and West Virginia each have an “F.” Pennsylvania and Michigan rank a little higher, each with a “C.”
Gifford Law Center representatives write that many planned gun-law efforts were paused in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
See the full ranking of states and data conclusions on the Giffords Law Center’s website.
