Worst States to be a Gun Owner (2024 Updated)

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Does your state support your 2nd Amendment rights or make it exceedingly difficult to keep and bear arms? We’ve ranked the worst states to be a gun owner below. How? By analyzing each state’s current laws, upcoming laws, concealed carry guidelines, self-defense statutes, and 2A-centric taxes in order to identify the worst states for gun owners in 2024.

Report Highlights

  • Hawaii is the #1 worst state for gun owners due to strict purchasing and carry laws, as well as defying the Supreme Court on the individual’s right to carry.
  • California is the #2 worst state for gun owners due to its permit-to-purchase and reciprocity laws.
  • New York, Illinois, and New Jersey take the #3#4, and #5 spot in our list of worst states for gun ownership due to strict purchasing and carrying requirements.
  • North Carolina, Maine, and Ohio fall into spots #25#24, and #23 due to new restrictive legislation with some relaxed carry laws.
  • Some states rank lower than others due to excessive infringements, additional taxes, and the current Governor’s 2A statements.
  • State and local laws defining Stand Your Ground vs. Duty to Retreat vary and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
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Author: Sam Jacobs

Sam Jacobs is the lead writer and chief historian at Ammo.com. His writing for Ammo.com's Resistance Library has been featured by USA Today, Reason, Bloomberg's Business Week, Zero Hedge, The Guardian, and National Review as well as many other prominent news and alt-news publications. Ammo.com believes that arming our fellow Americans – both physically and philosophically – helps them fulfill our Founding Fathers' intent with the Second Amendment: To serve as a check on state power. That the rights codified in our Bill of Rights were not given to us in a document, but by our Creator. That an unalienable right is God-given. It isn't granted by a president, a king, or any government – otherwise it can be taken away.

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20 Comments
Anonymous
Anonymous
April 23, 2024 11:17 am

Links seem broken right now.

The Orangutan
The Orangutan
  Anonymous
April 23, 2024 12:25 pm

It may be because direct links are not permitted. Seems the list above is not correct; Maine is listed as 24th worst, but on the overall list its listed as 13th best?

The list of all 50 is here, but for 2023. Have things changed that much in 1 year?:

comment image

well_Inever
well_Inever
  The Orangutan
April 23, 2024 1:08 pm

Although I only looked at a few states, I didn’t see anything about Red Flag Laws. I’m pretty sure Colorado is a Red Flag State.

Colorado Artist
Colorado Artist
  well_Inever
April 23, 2024 6:14 pm

It is, but only enforced in Denver/Boulder.
The rest of the state is open carry and firearm freindly.
And we have the “Make My Day” law. If someone enters your home
uninvited, you may light them up with impugnity.
Denver/Boulder is a nest of Bolshies and no surprise, crime ridden shitholes. The rest of the state is well behaved.

Warren
Warren
  The Orangutan
April 23, 2024 1:30 pm

Maine dropped on the lost because they’re passing a red flag law, unfortunately the Mass Holes have flooded to Portland and flipped the state.

Chas
Chas
April 23, 2024 11:58 am

In Idaho you can build your own suppressor without asking the fed for permission…

TN Patriot
TN Patriot
  Chas
April 23, 2024 6:53 pm

I’ll bet the BATF will treat you like the Weavers if they find out about it.

Chas
Chas
  TN Patriot
April 23, 2024 7:12 pm

Funny you should say that.. Had a talk with the sheriff and Chief of police up hear. Said they got my back, especially if the shooting starts from exercising self defense… Castle doctrine, baby….

James
James
  Chas
April 23, 2024 7:45 pm

Actually,with tools/materials one can build a suppressor in any state without permission….,just saying.

zappalives
zappalives
April 23, 2024 12:17 pm

Hawaii is a great place to have a pineapple shoved up your ass by the government.

Anonymous
Anonymous
April 23, 2024 12:41 pm

Colorado is working hard to be #1.

Colorado Artist
Colorado Artist
  Anonymous
April 23, 2024 6:15 pm

DENVER is working hard.
The rest of the state is fighting back tooth and nail.

bidenTouchesKids
bidenTouchesKids
April 23, 2024 12:46 pm

 However, there’s no firearm registration in the state.

Need to update their info. Illinois demanded owners register their weapons with the AWB.

Anonymous
Anonymous
April 23, 2024 12:52 pm

Living in the liberal hell hole of Maryland surrounded by government employees or welfare recipients and now as a former idiot governor called illegals New Americans to our welcoming state . The states carry permit process was so blatantly unconstitutional the legislature was forced to go to a shall issue process .
Don’t worry though the mentally deranged leftist legislators quickly passed laws as to where and when you could carry . If you really read the new control law you are restricted damn near everywhere !
You could easily be in violation picking your kid up from school or walking the dog across the street street from a school !
So why bother , carry as needed and FUCK IT
Maryland needs an electoral college to control the leftist democrats (NEW NAZIS) because you only need to win 3 to 4 counties and Baltimore City and the rest of the voting public can eat shit ! The areas that carry most if not all elections are packed with government employees and welfare recipients

Warren
Warren
  Anonymous
April 23, 2024 11:39 pm

If you can get a permit, you’re better off doing so. It’s illegal to carry within a 1000 feet of a public school, or a school related facility, unless you have a concealed carry license. Seems innocuous enough, until you realize that a school bus stop is considered to be a school related facility. And carrying in your vehicle as you drive is included in the law.

  1. The Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. unless You have an unloaded firearm that is locked in a container or secured on a rack in your vehicle;
  2. You possess a concealed carry license from the state in which the school is located. or
  3. You are on private property. For example, your house is located within 1,000 feet of a school.

So, if you are not a CWFL holder, you cannot have a loaded firearm in your car on or within 1,000 feet of a school.
This applies to off duty police officers, hunters, even people who are in public housing, even in their own apartment.

And the law applies 24/7. So, for example if you’re driving down the limited access highway at midnight on a Saturday, and you pass within a 1000 feet of a School Bus Stop on a local side street without a CCL from that state, you’re violating the gun free zone.

And…If you have a CCL from your own state it doesn’t apply to a neighboring state, so if you travel within a 1000 feet of a bus. Stop or other school facility in another state, even if you don’t actually enter that state, you’re in violation of the Federal Gun Free.School Zone law if you don’t have a CCL from that state as well.

Tlate
Tlate
April 23, 2024 1:14 pm

The hypocrisy from libs/demos makes me ill. They want no restrictions on their supposed constitutional right to kill innocent unborn babies yet want to restrict prevent me from being able to defend my life with a gun against someone intent on taking my life. Thereby preventing me from exercising my right to life and liberty with an actual constitutional amendment the right to bear arms. If restrictions on abortion are unconstitutional then restrictions on guns are as well.

Anonymous
Anonymous
April 23, 2024 4:10 pm

afaik the bit about private transfers in pennsylvania having to go through an ffl are not quite accurate. in PA the transfer of a handgun must go through _either_ an ffl _or_ the sherriff’s office. It is actually against PA state law for any government body to keep any kind of registry of firearms ownership but the handgun transfer bit there does indirectly create such records. but that only applies to handguns. long guns can be transferred privately.

Anonymous
Anonymous
April 23, 2024 6:19 pm

Massachusetts has to be the worst. Just mentioning guns makes some massholes wet their pants. Maine just bent over too with their ridiculous red flag law bullshit. Illinois, New York, New Jersey. California…fuck all them too.

Anonymous
Anonymous
April 23, 2024 6:51 pm

I notice the no firearm signs at post offices. I think most people just ignore that federal “law” and walk on in anyway.

Since I don’t bank locally I have no reason to go inside a bank or credit union. Not sure it’s a “local” rural thing, but recently I took a neighbor grocery shopping and made two stops at credit unions for the neighbor to borrow some $$. Each CU had the no weapons sign. Seems to me in Texas a bank or CU would be the kind of place a person would want to pack his/her handgun. I went inside one of the CU’s with the neighbor and just sat in the waiting area. For some reason it seemed like my Kahr may have trigged some alarm “in the back”. Everyone in that CU saw me walk in with the neighbor and I said I’ll just wait in the lounging area. Everyone working in that CU other than the cashiers approached me while lounging asking if they could help me. maybe I’m too paranoid anymore , what with all the Joe Biden crap taking place.

Anonymous
Anonymous
April 23, 2024 10:14 pm

This shoddy report was wrong 9 months ago, and it’s still wrong.
Gretchen Wilson is a country music singer.
Michigan’s Wretched Whitmore – Whitless is 1 of 5 who mandated sick seniors be placed into senior care centers, which spread diseases among the most at risk individuals when she locked down the state in 2020.

Further, it is questionable if the report has current Michigan law correct.
It is not to be trusted. The author who wrote it didn’t even get the Governor’s name correct, and reads: “at the time of this writing…”
Well, when was that, Sam?