States with stronger gun laws experience lower rates of gun violence, according to Giffords Law Center's annual Gun Law Scorecard released Friday.

The report, which grades states on their gun safety measures and compares those scores to 2018 gun violence statistics, found that seven of the 10 states with the strongest gun laws also have the lowest rates of gun deaths.

Only California and New Jersey earned an A grade on the report, though five states – Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York – earned an A-.

These states generally had lower gun death rates than the rest of the U.S. Hawaii had the lowest rate of 2.4 gun deaths per 100,000 people, while Alaska –which earned an F on the report – saw the highest rate of 24.5 gun deaths per 1000,000 people. Twenty-one states joined Alaska with a failing grade.

Robyn Thomas, executive director of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a press release that some lawmakers are failing to recognize their role in preventing more gun deaths.

"We've proven that lawmakers can save lives, reduce violence, and make their states safer by following a simple blueprint: pass gun violence prevention laws," she said. "Every year, our scorecard is a reminder to states that progress is possible, but also a reminder of the work we have left to accomplish."

Many states are bolstering their gun laws in the wake of some of the deadliest mass shootings in the nation's history that occured in 2018, including the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.

Florida, for example, enacted bills after the February shooting to raise the minimum age for purchasing firearms to 21 and extended the waiting period to three days. As a result, Gifford Law Center recognized Florida as the "most improved" state for its gun safety laws.

In 2018, lawmakers in 26 states and Washington, D.C., enacted a record 67 new gun safety laws, the report notes.

The authors stress how states should look to California as a model for gun legislation. The Golden State has cut its gun deaths in half over the last 20 years. California was the first state to pass an extreme risk protection order law, which permits families, household members or law enforcement officials to ask a court to temporarily restrict a person's access to guns.

On Monday, a group of California lawmakers announced the creation of a gun violence working group to further strengthen the state's gun laws. The legislators are proposing laws such as new taxes on firearms and monthly limits on gun purchases.