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You might want to take a closer look at the Brady rankings -

Connecticut rates very highly with them and that didn't stop the Newtown shooting.

I believe that Colorado also rates quite high and that didn't stop the Aurora shooting. [added: I was mistaken - Up until recently, Colorado wasn't all that high in their rankings. With their new laws, I'm sure that they'll be rated much higher now,]

In your own state, Chicago has some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the country and that doesn't stop many hundreds of people from getting killed there year after year.

As this is for a school project, I will assist you even though I'm very pro-gun.

First off, California has banned military looking semi-automatic rifles. This is the kind of rifle currently called Assault Rifles or Assault Weapons. Take a semi-auto rifle and add a bayonet lug, a flash suppressor, or a pistol grip, and suddenly, the same legal rifle becomes an evil assault rifle to be banned.

I've linked to a flowchart to determine whether a gun is legal, or to be banned.

Furthermore, magazines in California are limited to 10 rounds.

If buying a gun in California, ALL sales or transfers, except between immediate family, must go through this process:

1. You must present a valid photo ID

2. Fill out Form 4473 swearing you aren't a felon, wife beater, terrorist, junkie, psycho, etc.

3. Pay a $25 DROS (background check) fee

4. Wait 10 very long days to pick up your gun, pending a clean background check.

5. If the gun does not come with a lock, or you do not have a gun safe, you must purchase a lock for the gun.

If you are buying a handgun, you get bonus restrictions:

1. You must present a second proof of residency, like a utility bill in your name.

2. Take a handgun safety test proving you can safely operate the handgun, earning a certificate.

Then of course, all carrying of a handgun, openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, is illegal, unless you are politically connected and can get a carry permit issued to you.

Now, one thing I want you to notice here, is every law is aimed at the law abiding citizen. Criminals will buy stolen guns, or steal them. If criminals want a gun to help with a crime, they will ignore the carry laws too.

Lets face it. California and Illinois have cities in the state (Chicago, Oakland) where they have some of the strictest gun laws in the United States, and yet they have some of the highest gun violence in the United States. Then you take Cities in lacks gun law states (Phoenix, AZ; Salt lake City, UT) and they have less crime and gun violence.