Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 04/30
In Pictures: The kings and queens of modern monarchies
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/29
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/28
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 04/27
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 04/26
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/25
In Pictures: Where Our Clothes Come From
PENNSYLVANIA: The state requires background checks for handgun buyers, and requires gun dealers to obtain a state license. This ranking of states with the strictest gun laws is from the Brady Campaign, a nonpartisan anti-gun violence group. Here, protesters in Philadelphia participate in the Silent March to Protest Gun Violence in July 2000. Andy Nelson/The Christian Science Monitor/FILE
ILLINOIS: Gun buyers must be 21 or older. Child safety locks are sold with all handguns. Guns may be permitted in public places, but employers and colleges are not required to allow firearms on premises. Ed Ethridge (r.) shows a customer a 9mm handgun at Rink's Gun and Sport in Lockport, Illinois, in June 2008. Frank Polich/Reuters
HAWAII: A US Marine Corps rifle detail from Kaneohe, Hawaii, fire a 21-gun salute to mark the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. For civilians, however, the state emphasizes background checks on gun buyers. It mandates universal background checks for all handgun purchases, as well as fingerprinting and safety training. USN/Newscom/FILE
RHODE ISLAND: Buyers of any firearm must undergo universal background checks, plus safety training, to obtain a permit. In Providence, Teny Gross (l.), Director of The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, speaks with worker Carlos Bryant about a homicide case outside the William B. Cooley Sr. High School in March 2009. Ann Hermes/The Christian Science Monitor
NEW YORK: It requires state licenses for all dealers and background checks for all purchasers at gun shows. New York gun owners must report lost or stolen guns, a requirement designed to curb firearm trafficking. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg holds a press conference at Jersey City City Hall for the organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns in April 2007. Bloomberg has teamed up with mayors all over the country in an effort to ban illegal guns and make gun tracing data more easily accessible for local and state police departments. Erik Sumption/Sipa Press/Newscom/FILE
MARYLAND: The state goes to great lengths to curb firearm trafficking. It requires dealers to obtain a state license to sell guns, limits bulk purchases of handguns, and uses ballistic fingerprinting to identify guns used for criminal acts. A Maryland gun owner in Frederick demonstrates how to load a 9mm hand gun in April 2009. Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa Press/Newscom
CONNECTICUT: It requires background checks for handgun buyers, as well as fingerprinting and safety training. Connecticut employers and colleges are not forced to allow firearms on premises. An employee at the Colt Defense machine gun factory performs quality control tests on the M-4 rifle in July 2006. [Editor's note: the original version misstated the name of the factory.] Newscom/FILE
MASSACHUSETTS: The law here requires fingerprinting, safety training, background checks, and law enforcement involvement before a gun buyer can obtain a permit to own a firearm. In Boston, Mass., a memorial for a father and son killed in the crossfire of gang violence is seen on Castlegate Road in Dorchester in 2004. Multiple shootings occurred on this block as part of gang violence in Boston. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/FILE
NEW JERSEY: A recent law that limits an individual to one handgun purchase a month is among the most restrictive gun laws in the US. The state also has strong background check and child safety laws. An unidentified witness to a drive-by shooting waits to be questioned by the police in Camden, New Jersey, in March 2005. The city, which is just nine square miles, has one of the worst rankings for murders, rapes, robberies, and other crimes. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters/FILE
CALIFORNIA: The Golden State has the strictest gun control regulation in the US, according to the Brady Campaign. It requires background checks for all firearms sales, and gun buyers must be 21. California, like New Jersey, limits handgun purchases to one a month, It is also considering curbs on open-carry practices. A protester displays his gun while listening to speakers at a rally in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 27. Newscom
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 04/30
In Pictures: The kings and queens of modern monarchies
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/29
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/28
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 04/27
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 04/26
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/25
In Pictures: Where Our Clothes Come From
States are in an ideological arms race, epitomized by dueling abortion bills floated by legislatures from Kansas to New York. Is this federalism on steroids?
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is set to sign a tough new anti-abortion law that says life begins at conception and bans sex-selection abortions. In response, states like Washington and New York are scrambling to reduce restrictions on the procedures, such as loosening rules around late-term abortions.
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-04-30
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/The-kings-and-queens-of-modern-monarchies
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-04-29
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-04-28
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-04-27
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Coming-together-The-aftermath-of-the-Boston-Marathon-bombings
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-04-26
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-04-25
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Where-Our-Clothes-Come-From
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Millenium-Development-Goals-GLOBAL-PROGRESS-REPORT
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-04-24
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Mexico-s-Economy