Alaska, Louisiana and Montana had the most gun deaths of any U.S. states in 2010, and they fall among the states with the weakest gun laws, according to the Center for American Progress.
The contentious proposal to reinstate the assault weapons ban has been postponed, but measures to extend background checks to private gun sales and fund school security improvements have been voted through to the Senate.
States with more gun-control legislation, such as Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut, have lower rates of gun-related deaths than states with fewer gun-control laws.
The Maryland Senate approved a comprehensive gun control bill that includes a ban on assault weapons and fingerprinting for prospective handgun buyers.
Senators struggle to find common ground on universal background checks for firearm purchases when faced with a divisive split about firearm registration and record keeping.