NEW YORK, NY — New York's strict gun laws make the state one of the safest in the nation, a new report shows. The Empire State saw just 4.4 gun deaths per 100,000 people last year, the third-fewest in the United States, according to the Giffords Law Center's annual Gun Law Scorecard.

Only Massachusetts and Rhode Island had lower 2017 gun death rates of 3.4 and four deaths per 100,000 people, respectively. By contrast, Alaska saw 23 gun deaths per 100,000 people last year, the highest rate in the nation. The state was one of 25 to get an F grade from the Giffords Law Center.



States with strict gun control laws like New York tend to see fewer gun-related deaths, while gun deaths are generally more common in states with weaker gun laws, according to the Giffords Law Center. The group, named for former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, works to strengthen local, state and federal gun laws. New York was one of seven states to get an A- on the center's scorecard. Its gun laws are the fifth-strongest in the nation, the report says. California, the only state to get an A, took the No. 1 spot, followed by New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The report comes as state and federal lawmakers debate stricter gun rules after Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 people last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature passed the SAFE Act, New York's landmark gun legislation, in 2013 in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Among other things, the law bolstered background check requirements, imposed stricter restrictions on assault weapons and required doctors to flag anyone who might pose a danger to themselves or others so the person could be stopped from getting a gun permit.

Cuomo, a Democrat, has called for Congress to pass stronger federal gun reform to staunch the flow of firearms into New York from southern states with more lax gun laws.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware and Puerto Rico have formed a multistate coalition to prevent interstate gun trafficking by sharing information and law enforcement resources. Curious how other states' gun laws compare to New York's? Check out the Giffords Law Center's full scorecard.