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Gun Control Laws by State
Photo by Cengiz Yar Jr./AFP/Getty Images
Since last week’s massacre in Oregon, the debate over the cause of the U.S.’s unparalleled gun violence has re-emerged, with some, such as GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, arguing that Americans don’t have enough guns, while a visibly frustrated President Obama blamed weak gun laws. “It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm to get his or her hands on a gun,” he said after the shooting. The Oregon shooter had six guns on him at Umpqua Community College, the site of the massacre, and owned eight others. All of them were purchased legally by the shooter himself or his family members in the past three years. Oregon this year started requiring background checks for private gun sales, though some sheriffs said they would refuse to enforce the law.
Gun laws vary widely from state to state, and states with stronger gun control laws have fewer gun deaths. Some states, such as Alaska, Kentucky, and Louisiana, do not require background checks for private sales, have lax open and concealed carry laws, and fail to restrict gun access from certain risky populations. Below, we’ve summarized the gun laws in each state, based on research from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence:
| Handguns | Long guns | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Gun Control Grade | Violent/Gun-related Crime Restrictions | Dangerous Mental Illness Restrictions | Open Carry (Handguns) | Concealed Carry (Handguns) | Background Checks (Handguns) | Open Carry (Long guns) | Background Checks (Long guns) |
| Alabama | F | No | No | Other Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Alaska | F | No | No | Other Restrictions | No CCW Permit Required | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Arizona | F | No | Yes | No Restrictions | No CCW Permit Required | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Arkansas | F | No | Yes | Other Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| California | A- | Yes | Yes | Prohibited | Wide Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | Prohibited | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| Colorado | C- | No | No | No Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| Connecticut | A- | Yes | Yes | Permit or License Required | Wide Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| Delaware | B- | Yes | Yes | No Restrictions | Wide Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| Florida | F | Yes | Yes | Prohibited | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | Prohibited | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Georgia | F | No | No | Permit or License Required | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Hawaii | B+ | Yes | Yes | Permit or License Required | Wide Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | No Restrictions | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase |
| Idaho | F | No | No | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Illinois | B+ | Yes | Yes | Prohibited | Limited Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | Prohibited | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase |
| Indiana | D- | Yes | No | Permit or License Required | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Iowa | C- | Yes | No | Permit or License Required | Limited Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | Other Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Kansas | F | No | Yes | No Restrictions | No CCW Permit Required | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Kentucky | F | No | No | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Louisiana | F | No | No | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Maine | F | Yes | Yes | No Restrictions | No CCW Permit Required | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Maryland | A- | Yes | Yes | Permit or License Required | Wide Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Massachusetts | A- | Yes | Yes | Permit or License Required | Wide Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | Prohibited | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase |
| Michigan | C | No | Yes (handguns only) | Other Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | Other Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Minnesota | C | Yes | Yes | Permit or License Required | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | Prohibited | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Mississippi | F | No | No | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Missouri | F | No | Yes | Permit or License Required | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Montana | F | No | No | No Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Nebraska | D | Yes | No | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Nevada | F | No | Yes | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | Voluntary Background Checks by Private Sellers | No Restrictions | Voluntary Background Checks by Private Sellers |
| New Hampshire | D- | No | No | No Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| New Jersey | A- | Yes | Yes | Permit or License Required | Wide Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | Prohibited | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase |
| New Mexico | F | No | No | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| New York | A- | Yes | Yes | Prohibited | Wide Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| North Carolina | F | No | Yes (handguns only) | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | State Permit Required Before Private Purchase | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| North Dakota | F | Yes | Yes | Other Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Ohio | D | No | Yes | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Oklahoma | F | No | Yes | Permit or License Required | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Oregon | D+ | Yes | Yes | No Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| Pennsylvania | C | Yes | Yes | Other Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | Other Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Rhode Island | B+ | No | Yes | Permit or License Required | Wide Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| South Carolina | F | No | Yes | Prohibited | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| South Dakota | F | Yes | No | No Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Tennessee | F | Yes | Yes | Permit or License Required | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | Other Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Texas | F | Yes | No | Permit or License Required | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Utah | F | No | Yes | Permit or License Required | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | Other Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Vermont | F | No | No | No Restrictions | No CCW Permit Required | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Virginia | D | No | Yes | Other Restrictions | Limited Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | Other Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Washington | B- | Yes | Yes | Other Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | Background Check at Point of Transfer | No Restrictions | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
| West Virginia | F | Yes | Yes | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Wisconsin | C- | No | Yes | No Restrictions | No Discretion to Deny | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Wyoming | F | No | Yes | No Restrictions | No CCW Permit Required | No Background Check Required for Private Sales | No Restrictions | No Background Check Required for Private Sales |
| Washington, D.C. | no grade | Yes | Yes | Prohibited | Prohibited | Background Check at Point of Transfer | Prohibited | Background Check at Point of Transfer |
Handgun and rifle icons by Creative Stall, the Noun Project.
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Note: The LCPGV’s grade for each state is based on its 2014 scorecard and may not accurately reflect the more up-to-date information in the table about the state’s current laws. Each state’s grade is determined in part by variables not shown here, such as regulations on bulk purchases and gun dealers.