TOPEKA — Nearly 500 people die annually in Kansas from gun violence, and the state ranks low in gun legislation, according to a yearly ranking.
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a national gun safety nonprofit, gave Kansas an F grade for gun regulation in its annual scorecard that evaluates the strength of the 50 states’ firearm laws.
The strength of Kansas’ gun laws ranks among the lowest in the country at 42nd.
“Kansas has some of the weakest laws in the country when it comes to gun violence, which is why we gave it an F this year,” said Emma Brown, executive director of the center, in a Tuesday news release.
She continued: “Gun violence is now the No. 1 killer of children in the United States. That is unacceptable.”
THE REPORT pointed to Kansas’ lack of universal background checks, legislation involving “gun industry accountability” and violence intervention programs. It also recommended the Legislature repeal “stand your ground” laws, which permit people to use deadly force if they believe it’s to defend themselves.
Kansas excels in only one category — mental health reporting — according to the center. State officials are required to abide by certain mental health record reporting requirements, which can be used when evaluating firearm transfers. Often, mental health reporting is submitted to a national database when courts order treatment or an involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility.
The center drew a correlation between weakened gun laws and increases in gun deaths across the country. Kansas sees almost 17 gun deaths per 100,000 people or 473 deaths annually. The highest rate is 29 per 100,000 in Mississippi and the lowest is around 4 per 100,000 in Massachusetts.
A FEBRUARY MASS shooting that left one person dead and more than a dozen others injured at a Kansas City parade celebrating the Chiefs Super Bowl win was a signal to some Missouri and Kansas lawmakers either to restrict or loosen state gun laws.
“In 2024, 28 states passed 88 gun safety laws, bringing the total number of new gun safety laws since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 to over 700,” the center’s report said.
Kansas was not one of those states.
