For Release
ThursdayJanuary 29, 2026
RAND today released a slate of new gun policy resources as it concludes its decade-long Gun Policy in America initiative, which has provided objective analyses of the effects of firearm laws in the United States. The new resources include an online visualization tool that allows users to explore how state-level firearm mortality rates relate to a range of social and economic factors, and the fifth edition of RAND's flagship Science of Gun Policy report.
Homicide and suicide mortality rates vary widely across states. The new Firearm Mortality and State Characteristics Visualization Tool allows users to examine how these mortality rates differ among states with similar demographic, economic, political and geographic profiles. It highlights which state characteristics are most strongly linked to firearm violence and identifies states with unexpectedly high or low mortality rates relative to their peers. For example, the tool shows that 60% of state variation in suicide rates is associated with rates of household firearm ownership, a stronger predictor than other factors examined, yet some states, such as Alaska and Colorado, have suicide rates considerably higher than other states with similar gun ownership levels.
