



Two years ago this coming Sunday, 20-year-old Adam Lanza invaded Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle and other weapons. He killed 20 children and six educators. He also killed his mother, and himself.

Since then, there have been 95 more school shootings in the U.S., according to a report by the pro-gun control group Everytown. A separate investigation by Mother Jones found that there have been 21 fatal school shootings in the last two years.

States, however, have seen some action on the gun legislation front. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit organization, at least 64 state laws have been passed in the last two years that strengthened gun regulations. In the same time period, at least 70 state laws have been passed that weakened regulations, and at least 38 more have passed that had “minimal impact” on regulations.

The Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence points out on its website that a straight comparison of laws strengthening and weakening gun restrictions may not paint a complete picture, since some laws have a greater impact than others. The group notes:

Of the states that enacted laws to strengthen gun regulation, 8 states made very significant and, in some cases, sweeping changes to the way it regulates firearms. Alternatively, only 4 states enacted laws that have significantly weakened gun regulation.

For example, a bill that allows states to keep private the information of concealed-weapon permit holders cannot be equated with a bill that strengthens background checks or bans assault weapons, the Law Center says. One has a minimal impact on gun regulation, while the other represents a significant change.

Overall, the Law Center says, "the data shows us that the public’s mobilization after Newtown resulted in real and sustained change in legislative outcomes."

Last year, Mother Jones analyzed data from the Law Center and found that one year after Newtown, a majority of Americans lived in states that had tougher gun laws than before the shooting.

The map below reflects the time period between December 2012 and May 2014. It shows which states have enacted more laws to tighten gun restrictions than to weaken them -- and which states have done the opposite.

Where Gun Regulations Have Gotten Stronger Or Weaker Since Newtown Note: Data used excludes laws that were classified by the Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence as having “minimal impact” on state gun regulations. Source: Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence

These laws didn't stop Lanza, and so, following the shooting, President Obama, along with legislators from around the country, also called for a renewed focus on the state of mental health care in the U.S.

According to a November report from Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate, Lanza showed signs of various mental illnesses throughout his life. He was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The report describes Lanza's history of treatment for mental health issues, as well as the special education programs he was placed in. "It is vital to note that [Lanza] was completely untreated in the years before the shooting and did not receive sustained, effective services during critical periods of his life, and it is this story that the report seeks to tell," the report says.

The report notes that the majority of mentally ill people, as well as people with autism spectrum disorders, are not violent. (This is also a point that numerous advocates emphasized in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting.) Similarly, the authors stop short of placing blame on the educational or health care systems for Lanza's lack of treatment. "There is no way to adequately explain why [Lanza] was obsessed with mass shootings and how or why he came to act on this obsession," they write. "In the end, only he, and he alone, bears responsibility for this monstrous act."

More Money For Mental Health, Then Less ◼ Increase ◼ Level ◼ Decrease Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness