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How does your state rank in terms of encouraging legal gun ownership? Our results are surprising! We took into account the current gun laws, current legislators’ past voting history, 2A-centric taxes, and more to bring you this comprehensive list for 2024.
Ranking Factors: What Did We Measure?
There is a philosophical divide which underpins debate on legal gun ownership in the U.S. To understand that divide, it’s useful to keep one key metric in mind: Civilians possess an estimated 433 million guns in the U.S., according to the NSSF. How many of those guns are legally owned vs. illegally owned isn’t clearly defined yet how lawmakers calibrate their efforts to uphold the rights codified in our Bill of Rights and promote public safety must start with that metric in mind.
Why is this? Because on one side you have lawmakers who celebrate passing more laws restricting legal gun ownership irrespective of their past efforts and often do so citing heinous acts which are already illegal as justification for their additional legislative efforts. Based on their actions, it’s fair to conclude this side doesn’t like civilians legally owning guns – and they want fewer guns in America, period. Thus they make it harder for their constituents to legally exercise their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
On the other side, you have lawmakers who believe in empowering their constituents to protect themselves and their property from illegal acts. Violating a restraining order is a crime in all 50 states. Yet how the victim defends themself against the perpetrator belies a hard truth: Are they allowed to protect themselves from an illegal act with a firearm they legally own? It often depends on where they live in.
In certain states, you have lawmakers seeking to expand legal access to firearm ownership because they believe that “the only thing which stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”. In other states, you have lawmakers who believe that more laws, not more legally-owned guns in the hands of their constituents, is the best option to combat violent crime.
Once you understand this philosophical divide, then ranking the U.S. states according to their recent legislative efforts in support of legal gun ownership becomes a clearer task.
We believe that more legally-owned guns being permitted for use in more places by those who are not convicted felons, severely mentally ill, or substance abusers leads to less violent crime – and thus we’ve investigated the laws, the taxes, and the lawful usability of firearms to bring you the answer as to which states are the best for legal gun ownership by analyzing the following factors:
- Current Gun Laws
- Current Purchase Laws
- Current CCW Guidelines
- Reciprocity between other states
- Sales Tax
- Current Governor’s voting history
- Stand Your Ground Laws
Your ability to legally use your gun when you need to is as important as your ability to purchase it. If we consider only purchasing requirements, we neglect carrying requirements and use of force thresholds. Thus it’s important to look at each state’s current laws for language regarding Stand Your Ground and Duty to Retreat because they are defined differently.
It’s also important to note that, while the Supreme Court of the United States ruled it Constitutional to implement some gun laws, the high court has also made it clear that placing unnecessary hardships on those who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights is unconstitutional.
Unfortunately, the court used broad terminology and some states still have a plethora of laws, regulations, and restrictions placed on firearm owners. However, many states are moving toward open carry or permitless carry laws, but only time will tell if the states on this list will remain here, or move to our Worst States for Gun Ownership list.
Report Highlights
- New Hampshire is #1 thanks to its incredibly relaxed gun laws, low crime rates, and lack of state sales tax.
- West Virginia is #2 due to recent legislative actions to remove firearm restrictions and reduce sales tax on firearms and ammunition.
- Arkansas, Montana, and Mississippi are #3, #4, and #5, thanks to their pro-2A governors, stand-your-ground laws, and relaxed carry and conceal requirements.
- Arizona, Kansas, and Utah all dropped in the rankings to #25, #24, and #23 due to their current governor’s Second Amendment stance.
- Some states ranked better than others due to the current governors’ past and present 2nd Amendment voting history.
For more read the full report of the most gun friendly states in 2024.
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Arizona has Constitutional carry, contrary to your description….
It’s garbage. It’s factually incorrect, and they put these clickbait rankings out every year. They could literally use wikipedia as a starting point and do better.
My state has the same laws as New Hampshire, but apparently shit like sales taxes or governors saying mean things is more important to these tards.
The friendliest state is ignoring the prohibitionists. Shall not be infringed.
Alabama constitutional carry also. Author needs to do his research better.
Quit asking the government for permission.
as was pointed out in the previous installment of the same article, the authors should at least do a little research before publishing such inaccurate reports. can’t speak for most states but for sure the info about pennsylvania is wrong. it’s actually a pretty decent state as these things go. sure the two (maybe four if you include hassiburg and scranton) blue dots of philthadelphia and pittsburgh are trying to change that but aside from those dots pennsylvania is solid red.
YIKES!!! DID EVERYONE BECOME BRAIN-DEAD ABOUT “ANY WEAPON”?!?
REMEMBER WHAT “YOUR JESUS” SAID ABOUT THE “SWORD” (BEFORE GUNS APPEARED!)
QUOTE: “HE WHO LIVES BY THE SWORD…WILL DIE BY THE SWORD”???
WAR NEVER SOLVED “ANYTHING GOOD”(ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!)
TO “PERPETUATE WAR”…IS TO ALSO PERPETUATE “DEBT”!!!
IS YA STUPID ER’ SUMTIM?!?!
He also said, “and he that hath no sword let him sell his garment and buy one.” We can quote stuff from the Bible out of context all day but you’ll go to Hell just the same.
Yeah if you take Bible verses out of context you can support almost any argument with a bible verse.
Also the Old and New Testament are often at odds with each other, as one is The Law, and one is Salvation. There was a severe disagreement between King Henry VIII and Pope Clement VII over the Old and New Testaments and Henry marrying the widow of his brother Arthur. The old testament commanded early Hebrews to marry a dead brothers wife and take care of her and his children so his line would survive. The New Testament says one man, one wife. King Henry VIII kicked the Roman Catholic Church out of England over it.
The issue isn’t so much gun laws. The rubber hits the road when you look at whether you are entitled to use them. “Stand your ground” and Castle Laws are way more important than specifics of whether or not you can have a particular type of weapon. Realistically as a civilian defending yourself and your property you don’t need anything particularly fancy. You do need to have confidence that you can use lethal force where appropriate without losing everything in the legal aftermath.
As far as the constitution is concerned all guns are owned “legally”.
The entire article is shit based on their own criteria!
How is a State with Constitutional Carry LESS friendly than a State that FORCES you to register your gun and BUY a permission slip?
I call TOTAL bullshit.