What are the 3 States with the Least Restrictive and the 3 States with the Most Restrictive Gun Law?

[bearcreek]

I guess if there is a "best" of list, that is pretty good. I do not see why Florida is rated 24?/
We don't have open carry (which I don't personally care about) but other than that there is no real hassle of gun ownership??

Basically, it's because there are a bunch of states that have everything that Florida does, plus open carry.

 

[illinoisburt]

Having spent about 50 of my 56 years in Illinois, I'd respectfully submit it's a PITA when it comes to gun ownership...

Not trying to flame you, man, but I can tell I do not miss all the hoops of being a gun owner in Illinois. A 3-day wait for any firearm purchase? A special card to buy or possess ammo? A dozen categories of CC prohibitions? Been there, done that, got exasperated with it.
Peace.

No worries on my part. I lived in Illinois most of my life before moving south, however spent a bunch of years working and traveling back and forth between Chicago, Los Angeles, and NYC metro area. So I got a pretty good long term exposure to a mix of rules. Lots of friends and coworkers who hunted and shot trap on both coasts. They were always somewhat surprised and maybe a little jealous at how much better Illinois was. So compared to how life is now in Alabama, my old haunts are the dregs. But compared to how things are now in many other states, Illinois isn't terrible.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

"Illinois isn't terrible."

Now there's a state motto for ya...

 

[army_eod]

Go to the NRA ILA site

 

[bluejeans]

I know in Idaho right now we’re pushing to extend our constitutional carry to include non residents while within the borders of our state...

 

[JERRY]

which states meet these two criteria:

*Constitutional carry
*No arbitrary state restrictions (i.e. magazine capacity limits, waiting periods, off limits carry beyond courts and jails....)

West by God almost Heaven Virginia. any others?

 

[bearcreek]

which states meet these two criteria:

*Constitutional carry
*No arbitrary state restrictions (i.e. magazine capacity limits, waiting periods, off limits carry beyond courts and jails....)

West by God almost Heaven Virginia. any others?

Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma (although OK has an odd caliber limitation), South Dakota, and Wyoming.

 

[JERRY]

Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma (although OK has an odd caliber limitation), South Dakota, and Wyoming.

You can scratch New Hampshire from the list for now at least. Their state house [controlled by the Democrats] just passed a 3 day waiting period and universal background checks so you can't trade guns with your brother etc. The state senate is [also controlled by the Democrats] is going to vote on it now. Their only hope is a veto from the Republican Governor who is up for re-election this year.

 

[SSN Vet]

The only issue with the northern New England states is that they are drifting more and more left and the very liberal firearms laws currently enjoyed are, IMHO, in jeopardy.

More and more people flee to NH and ME from MA every year.... which would be fine, but they often seem to bring their big gubment do all for me attitudes with them.

 

[MedWheeler]

hso writes:

...Hawaii has a may-issued CCW system that issues no permits, resulting in a practical ban on concealed carry.

This would pretty much put it at the bottom of the steampile for me. Since carry permits are only valid for one year, and the state has not issued one in over a year (last I checked), there should currently be no one licensed/permitted to carry in the state.

 

[JTHunter]

Not really. Illinois requires getting a FOID from the state police. Complete form and send in with photo, wait 3 months. But after that they really don't have much restricted. Buy all the ammo you like, buy all the guns you like without registrations. About the only true limits are no silencers or machine guns, and CC license is expensive. There are significantly more hassles buying and carrying handguns, AWBs and other restrictions in most states on both coasts.
** FOID is supposed to be issued in 30 days, they tend to be backlogged. Cost is $10 and renew it after 10 years.

That is true for now, BUT, there is a pending bill that would return the FOID to 5 years and increase the cost to $50. This same bill is also trying to mandate fingerprints (at additional cost) as well as $1 MILLION in "liability insurance". This same bill would also prevent those companies like USSCA (?) that currently provide coverage in a SD shooting from providing that coverage. Almost all of these pending bills are from Chicago Democrats. SURPRISE !!
The FOID now can only be done from a computer where it used to be a paper form available at sporting goods stores and gun shops. Not any more. And, what about people that don't HAVE a home computer? Yep, you got it. They are S.O.L. !

 

[Obturation]

I want to say the most restrictive is Illinois.

Every time I hear or read about a FOID....among other things.

Illinois is not good, others are certainly worse though. Cook County (where Chicago is located) has their own rules, $25 per gun purchase tax, .05 per round centerfire, .01 per round rimfire and an overly confused magazine law that I've never ever gotten a straight answer if the limit is 10 or there is no limit along with various towns within the county with assault weapons bans of their own. The entire rest of the state is normal, except for the FOID card which is also required for ammo, primers and powders. I think it's all ridiculous but I'm stuck here for a while. I have only gone to Chicago 3 times in the last 15 years and live about 45 minutes from there. The range I use is in Wisconsin (I'm less than 10 miles from the border) but in my county it's pretty gun friendly as far as not a ton of no gun signs and several large gun shops local. I'm sure were heading down the tubes too but it's just taking longer than in California.

 

[KYregular]

Why don't people pay attention to one of the biggest issues with right to carry. This right is why Arizona should not be number one EVER!
If the state will allow force of law to signs it should not be in the top ten. That's why these "lists" are bad examples, do your own research.

 

[Mark1964]

No worries on my part. I lived in Illinois most of my life before moving south, however spent a bunch of years working and traveling back and forth between Chicago, Los Angeles, and NYC metro area. So I got a pretty good long term exposure to a mix of rules. Lots of friends and coworkers who hunted and shot trap on both coasts. They were always somewhat surprised and maybe a little jealous at how much better Illinois was. So compared to how life is now in Alabama, my old haunts are the dregs. But compared to how things are now in many other states, Illinois isn't terrible.

I can appreciate your California and New York friend considering Illinois a more gun-owner friendly environment. From where they're sitting, it's true.
That said, as someone's already pointed out on this thread, there's always another bill or two or ten brewing in Springfield. With a Chicago Democrat in the governor's office and the Dems controlling both chambers of the Legislature, I'd predict more restrictive measures in the next few years.
Never saw myself becoming a Hoosier, but there are parts of it I'm digging.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Michigan is pretty good. An open carry state. Conceal permits require completion of an 8 hour class. CPL fee is $135 and good for 4 years. CPL is accepted in many other states.. but stay away from Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and most of the West Coast.

At least for now, you might consider that your neighbor Illinois has shall-issue ccw, NO AWB, NO Mag limit, mail order ammo still OK, FOID card for kids w/ parental consent. Our biggest hurdle for out of state guests is a lack of CCW reciprocity....although vehicular carry is allowed. We are not even in the same class of restrictions as the other states you list. For today, anyway.....it is always a fight.

 

[Elkins45]

Here in KY
1. Constitutional carry
2. Open carry legal
3. You can carry it in the capitol and all state buildings
4. No Gun signs DO NOT carry letter of the law, meaning you cannot be arrested for carrying in a business that posts one. Even Arizona can't say that
5. No ban on anything like AR rifle, high cap mags, etc.
6. Cities that may try gun restrictions are shot down be preemptive state law
7. Stand your ground/castle doctrine state
8. State park, all local cities statewide, national parks, all allow open or concealed carry
9. No red flag laws
10. Most law enforcement agencies are 2A supportive in a big way
11. Knob Creek gun show, largest machine gun show in the world
12. Church carry legal
13. No registration of any kind
14. Carry in restaurants that serve alcohol
15. Private transactions legal
16. Do not have to inform officer
And I don't know why people rate states like Texas and Arizona over us. I guess it's about TV wild west perception.

I want to add a couple of clarifications for the benefit of out-or-staters, specifically about 3 and 14. Here’s a chunk of the statute about prohibited places:

Any courthouse, solely occupied by the Court of Justice courtroom, or court proceeding;
(d) Any meeting of the governing body of a county, municipality, or special district; or any meeting of the General Assembly or a committee of the General Assembly, except that nothing in this section shall preclude a member of the body, holding a concealed deadly weapon license, from carrying a
concealed deadly weapon at a meeting of the body of which he or she is a member;
(e) Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense beer or alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to that purpose;

So just to be clear, carrying in a state building doesn’t include ones that are courtrooms or that hold meetings of governing bodies. Carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol wouldn’t include an establishment that is primarily a bar but that also happens to serve the occasional sandwich, or the bar area in a restaurant like Applebee’s.

I should also add that even though we recently enacted permitless concealed carry we still offer permits that give you carry reciprocity with a large number of states. I plan on renewing my permit even though I no longer need it in-state.

 

[KYregular]

I want to add a couple of clarifications for the benefit of out-or-staters, specifically about 3 and 14. Here’s a chunk of the statute about prohibited places:





So just to be clear, carrying in a state building doesn’t include ones that are courtrooms or that hold meetings of governing bodies. Carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol wouldn’t include an establishment that is primarily a bar but that also happens to serve the occasional sandwich, or the bar area in a restaurant like Applebee’s.

I should also add that even though we recently enacted permitless concealed carry we still offer permits that give you carry reciprocity with a large number of states. I plan on renewing my permit even though I no longer need it in-state.

 

[KYregular]

Of course, I refered to State building like the capitol, DOT, etc. As far as restaurants that serve alcohol at least 50 percent of their receipts must be food served, like Applebee's for example. My point is many states do not allow either. I was in the capitol on the 31st and welcomed with open arms, and no intimidation.

 

[caribou]

In Alaska , you can concealed carry anywhere "But" No Bars, No court houses, no guns on specifically posted private property......... to bring guns into schools, you have to have written permission.

 

[Flechette]

Wyoming:

• Open carry
• No concealed carry permit required
• No background check or waiting period on private sales.

Basically the only gun control we have is Federally-imposed law, and there is movement afoot to ignore that via sanctuary law.

 

[toivo]

51. New York
New York had enjoyed a few quiet years since the passage of the draconian “NY SAFE Act” (Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act) in 2013, but that honeymoon ended when Democrats gained control of majorities in both houses of the “Empire State’s” legislature. During the first month of 2019, five separate gun bills were passed along party lines. Among the bills were mandatory storage legislation, as well as a Red Flag bill. Worse yet, these bills were passed without public hearings that would have allowed residents to speak their minds. So much for transparency. New York doesn’t allow for NFA firearms, and magazine capacity is restricted to 10 rounds. Carry permits can be obtained on a may-issue basis but they are notoriously difficult to get, especially in New York City where a separate permit is required. (2018 rank: 51)

Before "SAFE," New York wasn't really too bad. Issue policy is dependent on the county you live in, and many upstate counties are virtually "shall issue." Pistol permits used to be for life -- no renewal ever. New York had no laws about carry in establishments where alcohol is served -- still doesn't AFAIK.

But the "SAFE" Act brought us background checks for private sales, background checks for ammo (which has since been de-funded and therefore is unenforceable), an "assault weapons" ban (with grandfathering and registration of already-owned guns), the end of the exemption for pre-1995 10+ magazines, and a seven-round limit for carry (which was subsequently overturned by a federal judge). The new crop of red-flag and storage laws are pesky but nowhere near as bad as what "SAFE" did to NY gun owners.

 

[Spats McGee]

....But the "SAFE" Act brought us background checks for private sales, background checks for ammo (which has since been de-funded and therefore is unenforceable), ....

Am I the only one that sometimes (when my tinfoil hat is particularly snug) wonders if this is done intentionally? I can almost imagine an antigunner saying, "Well, now that the ammo BGC is defunded, I don't guess that they'll be able to get their ammo legally. Aw, shucks." #drippingwithsarcasm

 

[Dudedog]

If CA AB3071 passes (likely) that would IMO be enough to give CA the top ranking about being the Worst, which will no doubt make a lot of CA politicians happy.

(should not have commented earlier that CA needs to try harder to be the worst, because they decided to)

 

[Terry G]

Wisconsin is pretty good. Open carry, CCW with only a Hunter's Safety course, or short course readily available. If your a Veteran no course required at all just a copy of your DD214. $30.00 for five years for the CCW. No waiting period to purchase.

 

[vulcannut]

I don’t post often, and don’t recall the last time I did, but let me tell I am sure glad that I left the POS state of CT and now live in TX. Sorry for those who live in CT as I don’t want to offend but being born and raised in CT the liberal infested government pushed me out. Never moving back.

You do need to get an permit to carry in TX which was easy to get. You legally can purchase a firearm without one. In CT I needed a permit to buy ammo never mind a gun.

Heck the county I live in is a gun sanctuary county. There are more with than without here.