Few issues in American politics are as polarizing as gun control. According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, 86% of likely Democratic voters say it is too easy to legally obtain a firearm in the United States, compared to only 34% of likely Republican voters. This partisan gulf in public opinion has meaningful practical implications.
Decades of political gridlock on Capitol Hill has largely prevented any significant new gun control legislation. While the federal government imposes some restrictions on the types of commercially available firearms and who can own them, state governments also have broad authority to set their own policies. This has resulted in a patchwork of state-level gun control regulations.
While some states have taken measures to strengthen background checks, raise ownership eligibility requirements, and ban assault weapons, most have done little to expand on federal gun laws. (Here is a look at the states where assault-style firearms are banned.)
Using the Annual Gun Law Scorecard from the gun violence prevention group Gifford Law Center, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the least restrictive gun control laws. The Gun Law Scorecard assigns each state a letter grade rating the strength of their firearm laws. Grades are current as of early January 2024 and range from “A,” for the states with the strongest laws, to “F,” for the states with the weakest. Gun laws noted in this story are also from Giffords Law Center. They are not exhaustive, however, and are only broad guidelines. Legal nuances can vary at the state and local levels.
Each of the 21 states on this list received a grade of “F.” None of these states, listed in alphabetical order, are in the Northeast and the largest share — 10 in total — are Southern states.
In most of these states, prospective gun buyers can legally bypass federal background check requirements by purchasing from a private seller, gun owners can carry concealed firearms in public without a permit, and law enforcement cannot take a firearm from a person in crisis. Gun control laws in these states tend to be minimal, and rarely go beyond child access prevention and ownership restrictions for domestic violence offenders and individuals with certain mental illnesses.
Gun control laws are designed to keep firearms out of the wrong hands and reduce the risk of deadly gun violence. In the absence of comprehensive control policies, rates of gun violence tend to be higher in the states on this list. Based on 2021 firearm mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine of the 10 states with the highest rates of deadly gun violence rank on this list. (Here is a look at the states where gun deaths are increasing the fastest.)
Alabama
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Mental health record reporting
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 26.4 per 100,000 people — 4th highest of 50 states (1,315 total)
Alaska
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Mental health record reporting
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 25.2 per 100,000 people — 6th highest of 50 states (182 total)
Arizona
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Firearms prohibited at polling places, mental health record reporting
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 18.3 per 100,000 people — 17th highest of 50 states (1,365 total)
Arkansas
- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Partial mental health record reporting
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 23.3 per 100,000 people — 8th highest of 50 states (698 total)
Georgia
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: strong open carry restrictions, child access prevention laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, or concealed carry permitting requirements
- Gun deaths in 2021: 20.3 per 100,000 people — 14th highest of 50 states (2,200 total)
Idaho
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Mental health record reporting
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing requirements, extreme risk protection orders, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 16.3 per 100,000 people — 25th highest of 50 states (309 total)
Iowa
- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Certain domestic violence gun laws, child access prevention law
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, concealed carry permitting requirement, bulk firearm purchase restrictions, or firearms licensing
- Gun deaths in 2021: 11.2 per 100,000 people — 12th lowest of 50 states (364 total)
Kansas
- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Mental health record reporting
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 17.3 per 100,000 people — 19th highest of 50 states (503 total)
Kentucky
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Child access prevention laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, or strong open carry restrictions
- Gun deaths in 2021: 21.1 per 100,000 people — 13th highest of 50 states (947 total)
Louisiana
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Certain domestic violence gun laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 29.1 per 100,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states (1,314 total)
Mississippi
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Partial mental health record reporting, child access prevention laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirement, or strong open carry restrictions
- Gun deaths in 2021: 33.9 per 100,000 people — the highest of 50 states (962 total)
Missouri
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Partial strong open carry restrictions, child access prevention laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, or concealed carry permit requirements
- Gun deaths in 2021: 23.2 per 100,000 people — 9th highest of 50 states (1,414 total)
Montana
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Certain domestic violence gun laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 25.1 per 100,000 people — 7th highest of 50 states (280 total)
North Dakota
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Certain domestic violence gun laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 16.8 per 100,000 people — 22nd highest of 50 states (128 total)
Oklahoma
- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Child access prevention laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, or waiting periods
- Gun deaths in 2021: 21.2 per 100,000 people — 12th highest of 50 states (836 total)
South Dakota
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Mental health record reporting
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 14.3 per 100,000 people — 19th lowest of 50 states (128 total)
Tennessee
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Certain domestic violence gun laws, strong open carry restrictions
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, or concealed carry permit requirements
- Gun deaths in 2021: 22.8 per 100,000 people — 10th highest of 50 states (1,569 total)
Texas
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Mental health record reporting, child access prevention law
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, or strong open carry restrictions
- Gun deaths in 2021: 15.6 per 100,000 people — 24th lowest of 50 states (4,613 total)
Utah
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Domestic violence gun laws, child access prevention laws, extended background check period, state background check database
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, or strong open carry restrictions
- Gun deaths in 2021: 13.9 per 100,000 people — 16th lowest of 50 states (450 total)
West Virginia
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Domestic violence gun laws
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 17.3 per 100,000 people — 19th highest of 50 states (319 total)
Wyoming
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- Gun law strength grade: F
- Notable gun controls: Ban on concealed carry in bars
- Notable gun rights: No universal background checks, gun owner licensing, extreme risk protection orders, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon restrictions, large capacity magazine ban, waiting periods, concealed carry permit requirements, strong open carry restrictions, or child access prevention laws
- Gun deaths in 2021: 26.1 per 100,000 people — 5th highest of 50 states (155 total)
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