NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. states are continuing to drift further apart on gun policies, and a new report by a gun violence prevention advocate found that many states with the toughest restrictions had lower rates of gun violence, though a handful did not.

While 11 states made significant additions to their gun laws in recent years, 28 moved in the opposite direction by repealing concealed-carry permit requirements, according to a report released Wednesday by Everytown for Gun Safety.

Massachusetts and Maine, where loved ones of the victims of a 2023 mass shooting have pushed for stronger gun laws, strengthened policies like background checks, waiting periods, minimum age to purchase and prohibiting guns at state capitols and demonstrations.

Also adding to its gun laws was Colorado, where as of Jan. 1, any handgun stored in an unoccupied vehicle must be locked in a hard-sided container out of plain view. The vehicle also must be locked, with some exceptions.

Louisiana and South Carolina were among states that loosened restrictions, including allowing guns in K-12 schools and carrying them without a permit. In Colorado, Maine and New Mexico, efforts to pass bans on certain types of firearms failed.

Everytown for Gun Safety ranked all 50 states on gun safety by comparing the strength of their gun laws to their gun death rates and found 14 states labeled "national failures" on gun policy by the advocacy group had rates of gun deaths two and a half times higher than the nine considered national gun safety leaders, noted USA Today in its report about the gun policy data. Enditem

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