What is the safest gun state?

What is the hardest state to own a gun in?

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. Massachusetts is the #2 worst state for gun owners due to its permit-to-purchase and reciprocity laws.

What is the least armed state in the US?

Rates of Gun Ownership by State

Wyoming has the highest rate of gun ownership, with an estimated 66 firearms per 100 residents. Massachusetts and New Jersey share the lowest rate at 14.7 firearms for every 100 residents. The state-level ownership may be lower due to data restraints.

What states have the highest gun crime?

These are the 20 states with the highest firearm homicide rates in the country along with their gun-friendliness scores:

• Louisiana: 11.0 (3)
• Mississippi: 10.2 (5)
• Alabama: 9.5 (4)
• Missouri: 8.5 (5)
• Maryland: 7.4 (1)
• South Carolina: 7.4 (3)
• Tennessee: 6.7 (4)
• Illinois: 6.5 (2)

Are open carry states safer?

The average violent crime rate in permitless carry states is 354 per 100k. The national average, 391 per 100k, is around 10% higher. The 20 states that passed permitless carry legislation before 2023 had a collective decrease in violent crime of 2.88 per 100,000.

Which US state is the most heavily armed?

Texas has the most guns by total number, often exceeding one million registered firearms, followed by Florida and Virginia, though this reflects large populations; when considering ownership rate (percentage of households or residents), states like Montana, Wyoming, and West Virginia consistently rank highest, with Montana often leading.
 

What states allow non-violent felons to own guns?

All states except Vermont generally restrict firearm access after a person has been convicted of a felony, mirroring federal law in this area, which generally prohibits firearm access after an individual has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.

What is the best state to buy a gun in?

Arizona consistently ranks at the top for gun rights. It does not require a permit to carry a concealed firearm and offers one of the most straightforward gun-purchasing processes in the country. Arizona also respects permits from many other states and has robust self-defense laws.

What state has the freest gun laws?

Mississippi, Wyoming, and Arizona are frequently cited as having the loosest gun laws, with Mississippi often ranked as the most lenient due to minimal regulations, lacking permit requirements for concealed carry, and few restrictions on public carry, while Wyoming and Arizona also stand out for permitless carry and strong self-defense laws. New Hampshire and West Virginia are also noted for their relaxed approaches, with some sources placing New Hampshire at the top due to low crime and lax rules. 

Which US state has the most strict laws?

Top Five Most Regulated States by Number of Restrictions (2022)

• California – 403,774.
• New York – 298,804.
• New Jersey – 286,933.
• Illinois – 279,147.
• Texas – 273,106.

What states are ranked by school shootings?

California had 22 incidents in 2025, more than any other state. Texas had the next most, with 21 incidents this year, and Tennessee had 14. California and Texas were both states with the most school shootings last year as well.

What country bans guns?

In some countries, including Cambodia, Eritrea, and the Solomon Islands, private ownership of firearms by civilians is completely prohibited. There may be exceptions for private security companies, militias and paramilitary groups.

Who has the toughest gun laws in the US?

California generally has the strictest gun laws in the U.S., leading in implementing comprehensive policies like assault weapon bans, strong background checks, ghost gun restrictions, and extreme risk protection orders, followed closely by states like New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, and Hawaii, according to analyses by gun safety organizations. These states often adopt numerous policies tracked by groups like Giffords and Everytown, leading to lower gun death rates compared to states with laxer laws.
 

What is the most gun-friendly country?

There isn't one single "most gun friendly" country, but the United States has the highest civilian gun ownership and very permissive laws in many states, while Switzerland is known for its strong gun culture tied to militia service and relatively liberal ownership rules for certain firearms after background checks, and countries like Yemen also have extremely non-restrictive laws, though often with different cultural contexts. Other nations with high ownership or liberal access include Canada, Finland, and Serbia, often linked to hunting or defense traditions.
 

What state is #1 in crime in the USA?

Alaska often ranks #1 for violent crime rates per capita, followed closely by New Mexico, while some analyses also point to Louisiana for high murder rates or overall danger, though rankings vary slightly depending on whether violent crime, property crime, or general safety metrics are used, with data from 2024 and 2025 consistently showing Alaska and New Mexico leading in violent offenses. 

Which US state has the least gun violence?

Hawaii reports the lowest firearm death rate in the country at 3.8 per 100,000 people. Several Northeastern states, including Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, also fall near the bottom of the ranking.

What are the top 10 deadliest states?

The top most dangerous states often cited, based on various safety metrics like violent crime rates, include Louisiana, New Mexico, Alaska, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri, and Nevada, though rankings vary by report and the specific factors considered, with some reports also highlighting high overall crime numbers in states like California and Texas. These rankings reflect factors like violent and property crime rates, public safety challenges, and overall quality of life.
 

Is there a state that doesn't allow guns?

Forty-four states have a provision in their state constitutions similar to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to keep and bear arms. The exceptions are California, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York.

What state sells the most guns?

Texas sells the most guns by total volume, followed closely by Florida and California, largely due to their large populations, with Texas leading in 2023 sales with over 1.3 million firearms sold. When adjusted for population (per capita), states like Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska often rank highest, reflecting strong gun culture and easier ownership laws, according to SafeHome.org analysis of 2023/2024 data.
 

What are the stand your ground states in 2025?

Thirty-eight states are stand-your-ground states, all but eight by statutes providing "that there is no duty to retreat from an attacker in any place in which one is lawfully present": Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, ...