What state is the hardest to own a gun in?

Asked by: Katheryn Feeney  |  Last update: May 28, 2026
Score: 4.1/5 (69 votes)

While it depends on the specific restrictions, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, and Hawaii are consistently ranked as the hardest states to own a gun due to strict permit processes, universal background checks, waiting periods, and bans on certain firearms, with California often leading in comprehensive safety policies and Hawaii having very stringent purchase/carry laws. These states emphasize extensive regulations, unlike states like Mississippi or Idaho, which have some of the most lenient laws.

What is the hardest state to buy a gun in?

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

Which state has the toughest gun laws?

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 least gun-friendly state?

The 10 States With the Strictest Gun Laws

  • New York.
  • Connecticut.
  • Hawaii.
  • New Jersey.
  • Maryland.
  • Massachusetts.
  • Washington.
  • Colorado.

What's the best state for gun owners?

Best States for Gun Owners in 2025

  • New Hampshire. New Hampshire tops the list of gun-friendly states for 2025. ...
  • West Virginia. West Virginia allows residents over 21 to open and concealed carry. ...
  • Arkansas. ...
  • Montana. ...
  • South Dakota.

RANKING 50 States for GUN LAWS! Texas Florida California Wisconsin Pennsylvania Michigan Arizona +

18 related questions found

What is the most armed state?

The "most armed" state depends on the metric: Montana has the highest percentage of gun-owning adults (around 66%), while Texas has the highest total number of guns and gun-owning households, often exceeding one gun per person. Other states with very high rates include Wyoming, Alaska, and Idaho, particularly in terms of household ownership. 

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.

Which state has the strictest laws?

The top 10 states with the strictest privacy laws are:

  1. California. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which took effect in 2020, is one of the most sweeping data privacy laws in the United States. ...
  2. Connecticut. ...
  3. Delaware. ...
  4. Illinois. ...
  5. Maryland. ...
  6. Massachusetts. ...
  7. Nevada. ...
  8. New Hampshire.

What state has the least gun owners?

The states with the highest percentage of households with firearms are Montana (65%), Wyoming (61%), West Virginia (60%), Idaho (58%), and Alaska (57%). The states with the lowest household firearm ownership are New Jersey (9%), Massachusetts (9%), Hawaii (9%), and Rhode Island (14%).

What country has the loosest gun laws?

Yemen does not require any permit or any license for the acquisition or selling of any types of firearms, including fully automatic firearms.

Do states with open carry have less crime?

The 20 states that passed permitless carry legislation before 2023 had a collective decrease in violent crime of 2.88 per 100,000. 5 of the 8 states restricting open carry have violent crime rates above the national average.

What state is easiest to buy a gun in?

Easiest States to Buy a Gun: The Best States for Gun Buyers in...

  • Montana, West Virginia, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Idaho, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky are the easiest states in which to buy a gun.
  • Montana, New Hampshire, and West Virginia do not apply sales tax to firearms.

What state is known for guns?

Montana tops the ranking of the states with the highest percentage of gun ownership, with 66.3% of the adult population owning firearms. The state has some of the most relaxed gun control laws in America. No state permit is required to purchase or possess a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.

What state is the hardest to get a CCW?

1st: Hawaii – 13 Points

It was the second worst for exclusive concealed-carry laws, and uses a permit-issue system that is considered very restrictive.

What is the most gun-friendly state?

There isn't one single "most" gun-friendly state, as rankings vary, but New Hampshire, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas, and South Dakota consistently appear at the top for having permissive gun laws, permitless carry, no sales tax on firearms, and strong "stand your ground" protections, with New Hampshire often leading due to its "Live Free or Die" stance and Constitutional Carry. States like Mississippi and Missouri also have very lenient laws, while California and New Jersey have the strictest.
 

Are guns legal in Japan?

(A) Firearms and Swords Control Law

Aim. The Law (promulgated on March 10 1958, Law No. 6) aims to prohibit, in principle, the possession of firearms and swords. Of firearms, the import of handguns, military rifles, machine guns and guns is also prohibited, in principle.

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 is the roughest state in the US?

The "roughest" or most dangerous states in the U.S. consistently include Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri, Alaska, and Texas, based on high violent crime rates (homicides, assaults), property crime, and sometimes poor road safety or economic factors. Louisiana often leads in homicide rates, while New Mexico and Alaska have high violent crime rates per capita, with other Southern and Southwestern states frequently appearing in top rankings for overall danger.
 

What is the freest state in the US?

For the 24th time, New Hampshire is the freest state among all U.S. states, having scored 8.34 out of 10 in this year's report, which measures government spending, taxation, regulations and labor market restrictions using data from 2023, the most recent year of available comparable data.

What states have hate crime laws?

State and district. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have statutes criminalizing various types of bias-motivated violence or intimidation (the exceptions being Arkansas, South Carolina, and Wyoming).

What is the most felon-friendly state?

The most friendly state for felons is Vermont, where no felons are disenfranchised and no voting restrictions.

How far back does a background check go for guns?

A gun background check, run through the FBI's NICS system, generally looks back about five years for recent drug use or addiction, but for serious crimes like felonies, the prohibition is often permanent, while other disqualifiers (like domestic violence restraining orders) can be temporary. The check pulls from various databases (including FBI's IAFIS), so while recent activity is key, a criminal history, even older, can still trigger a denial if it makes you federally prohibited.