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(courtesy gunlawscorecard.org)

The screen cap above hails from Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, part of their interactive 2015 Gun Law State Scorecard. [Click here to play.] The California-based civilian disarmament group wants people to think that more gun control = less people shot. And they’ve got charts to prove it! Even if you accept their massaged, contextless data, I remind you that Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms is subject neither to arguments about social utility nor the democratic process. In theory. In practice, how are the gun laws where you live? What’s the worst gun control restriction under which you labor?

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183 COMMENTS

  1. F…. Well I suppose it’s an A if you use the “Obama is the best thing thats ever happened for gun sales” metric.. We still buy 10% of the guns manufactured in this country mostly because we’re scared of losing the right any day now.

  2. My state, Florida, getting an “F” from this group is a great endorsement for the state!

    Woot! The “Gunshine State” …. now, if we can get open carry and campus carry in place this next year….maybe we can get an “F-” …. that would be awesome!

      • I think your read is right: Washington (blue state) got a B-. But Washington has; Unlicensed open carry. State pre-emption. Shall-issue, no training requirement CPLs, for both residents and non-residents. No force-of-law signage allowance for restricting concealed or open carry beyond the restrictions specified in statute. Pretty loose carry restrictions in statute; the only notable every-day restriction is those areas specified as being accessible to 21 and over by the state liquor control board. Silencers are legal, and even legal to hunt with.
        The only things to up (using the scale given) WA’s grade are that SBSs and Full auto are illegal here and (dutifully unenforced) UBCs.
        But, despite all that WA got a B-… because? Blue?

    • I don’t know why Illinois ranks so hi with those idiots. We’ve got shall-issue concealed carry with state preemption. It should be enough to make them recoil in fear!

      Of course we do have the FOID card thing, which is useful to show that we are gaining gun owners every day.

      • You do not have shall issue in IL. Any cop from any jurisdiction may object to your cc application, it gets denied, then you have to pay for a lawyer to appeal to the unelected Star Chamber concealed carry review board, consisting of three feds, a retire federal judge, and a shrink. You never get to see the “evidence” against you, and hearsay is acceptable, like a fight with your neighbor over the lawn.

        Be sure to thank Rep. Brandon Phelps from Harrisburg, sponsor of the “NRA backed” HB183 carry bill, and his pet rat, NRA contract lobbyist Donald Todd Vandermyde, all the ignorant hicks from southern IL who are too stupid to figure out that the NRA is their worst enemy, and the police unions NRA is in bed with.

  3. “What’s the worst gun control restriction under which you labor?”

    In Florida, for all practical purposes, no open carry.

    That, however, looks like will be changing…

    • My state Michigan is more gun friendly, than most. We have open carry without a permit(know the laws). Lots of CPL’s I think my county has one of the highest rates in the Nation and the gun control tyrants don’t even know it. Just shows how dumb they are.

      • It’s probably our stupid, archaic, useless handgun registration law that put us that high up on the list. If we could get that removed and constitutional carry we could probably get a lower score. Never did want to fail something so bad as I want our state to fail on this list.

      • MI is not gun friendly. Bad laws, everything’s a felony. People are constantly having lives ruined over felony charges.

        It’s a felony to walk out of a gun store with a handgun in a case without a CPL. Wayne county says they will press 750.227 charges on such people if caught.

        But of course, MCRGO will act like everything is just fine in Michigan.

    • Other than UBC’s and 15rd mags (which NOBODY follows) we’re good here. Denver and Boulder suck, but I’ll left them have their little piece of “paradise” if they leave the rest of us alone. CC, OC, NFA of any sort, it’s not as Liberal as everyone makes it out to be.

  4. B- unfortunately. We have the “universal BG” checks that are so effective at reducing crime. We would most likely have a lower grade if it weren’t for Seattle and the rest of King County.

    • I’m curious to know how many private sales actually go through a background check in Washington. I just don’t how you could find any numbers given private sales weren’t recorded before the law took effect. I personally know of several sales that have been made that were paperwork free.

      • The last one of these that came out gave WA a C- grade. I liked that one better.

        The increase is certainly due to the stupid new law — which hasn’t made one bit of difference beyond annoying all the law-abiding people who already own firearms. But that’s what most gun control laws are for, after all.

        I haven’t heard of a single person complying with that stupid law. Maybe somebody is and has, but I don’t see why anyone would bother.

    • The other PITA that recently arose is that BATF won’t issue a Form 1 to “make and register” an SBR. The way the state laws are currently written, you’d need a manufacturer’s SOT to attach a buttstock to an AR pistol, so the BATF has stopped issuing the forms. Hopefully that will get cleared up soon, since the law was recently passed to make SBRs legal again here, after about a decade or more of them not being allowed (except for those grandfathered in.)

    • I looked at the Brady bunch gun law report card detailed breakdown for Washington a few years ago.
      Many of our points come from business regulation stuff like gun stores having to have special state business licenses or incorrect things like the requirement that stores record ammo sales (which doesn’t exist).
      The only bad stuff I saw on the list that they gave us points for were that annoying pistol form and ban on NFA items (and two of those three are now legal).
      I think if they focused on the things gun controllers complain about, like: unlicensed open carry, shall issue concealed carry with no training, no gun registration, no ban on scary guns, state preemption, no magazine limit, an unenforced (and unenforceable) universal background check, and no ammo restrictions, we’d be a solid F, or at least a D-. 🙂

      • Yeah, I was wondering why we weren’t worse. Didn’t make sense to me. Super easy to get a CPL, anyone can open carry (just about anywhere), and we can have suppressors. I-594 probably improved our score some. King County/Seattle doesn’t make any difference, as we have State pre-emption. I’ve open carried in Seattle. The cops used to give people a bad time about it, but I think they’ve been trained.

  5. “What’s the worst gun control restriction under which you labor?”

    Illinois – FOID card and still have to go through a background check

    • Yes, what he said. I’m now living half the year in FL so I’m in the process of becoming a Florida resident. Funny, no one asks for my FOID when I buy ammo here. I’ve always been amused in buying pounds of powder and bullets and not needing the FOID, It boggles —the stupidity.

    • Hold on a sec…..

      Illinois ranks as #8 / B+ for laws and #40 for gun deaths.

      How do those laws make us safer?
      Did they move Chicago to another state??

    • Same here — the desert/mountain west ones, anyway. All else being equal, I’d rather deal with a Wyoming winter than the humid summers of the south & midwest.

      • Phoenix area really doesn’t get humid, just burn-your-face-off hot. I’d recommend retiring in Prescott or Pine AZ.
        There’s a Ruger plant in Prescott. 🙂

        • I lived in Phx. for a couple years. One day, in July, I went out for a motorcycle ride…..I turned around within two blocks and locked myself inside my air conditioned apartment.

        • @ Marc

          Laugh.

          In a few short years, given all the “global warming” (or is that now “climate change”?) I’m told we’re enduring, you’ll probably find your bike melted and underwater when you venture outside in the Phoenix area.

  6. Virginia – (D) I’ll bet it would have been a F if we didn’t have a Democrat Governor (Terry McAuliffe).
    Open Carry – No permit
    Concealed Carry – Permit Required, minimal training, about $75 every 5 years
    State Law preemption

    As a gun owner, I’m very happy to live in Virginia. Texas seems like a repressive liberal regime compared to us.

  7. These gradings are about as accurate as when pro-gun groups do them.

    Many of the F rating states have quite a few restrictions on where and how you can carry a firearm and I would not have them rated higher than some of the ones with higher grades.

    For example both FL and TX(recent changes not withstanding) disallow Open Carry, Restrictions on Restaurant/Bar carry, Training Requirements and Licenses/Permit fees are non-trivial. Whereas in PA which they assigned a C the LTCF is $20 for 5 years, no training, no regulations about Bar/Restaurant Carry, Open Carry legal, etc.

    • I can’t figure out why we are a C. We have it way better then most F’s. I’m also wondering what are the restrictions that are giving us a C rating?

      • I was just asking my wife the same thing. We moved to northern central PA from the People’s Republic of New York early this year, and we were both ecstatic to finally have our God-given rights of self protection restored to us. PA has some of the most lax gun laws in the country when it comes to ease of purchase, carry, and features. I can only think they heavily weight trivial laws like the requirement to transfer a firearm between private individuals at an FFL to include a background check. Once again, the grabbers don’t understand the laws they advocate.

        And none of us are surprised

      • The best I can figure is it’s universal background checks on handgun sales. Other than that I think it is just a popular perception. Maybe they only talk to people in Philly and assume the rest of the state is just as screwed up.

        • UBC means you have firearm registration, which means you could be disarmed in a day. All of you. That is not freedom.

        • Except for the fact that it is incomplete. No records on firearms owned purchased outside of the state, and so far no records on private sales of long guns.

  8. I think 12th or 13th is where things are palatable vs the upper part of the list. I’m in PA and my “gun life” is for practical purposes unaffected. Of course I’m not in any of the big cities and my CLEO signs for NFA toys, so your mileage in other parts of the state may vary.

    • I hear it is county dependent. Some are a lot more trouble than others. Lycoming County passes out CCPs and signs NFA items without batting an eyelash.

        • What are you talking about? Ask what? LTCF’s are shall issue in PA. As for NFA, you have the same issue in TX. A local CLEO can choose not to sign. This of course isn’t even an issue with a Trust or Corp.

    • I’m in Philadelphia county. Unless I go with a trust I’ll never have a suppressor or full auto.

      However, compared to New Jersey just across the river, things are great.

  9. I’m in NJ, so my state got an “A-” because it’s just not Atrocious enough to please the folks at the LCPGV

  10. A- Massachusetts – perpetual AWB and 10 round mag limits. Not to mention the AG’s certification process under the guise of consumer protection, which prevents a whole host of handguns from being sold. From Glocks and Springfields to Kimbers and Taurus’. We can’t have ’em.

    • We have to wait for the transplants to move into MA and then decide, I don’t want my Kimber any more. I just don’t get the AWB anyways. That telescoping stock, it’s a product of Satan.

    • CA is very similar, AWB’s, magazine capacity limits, 10 day waiting period, handgun roster designed to limit the number of handguns available, micro-stamping requirement, 1 handgun a month, discretionary CCW, no .50 BMG

      But, I think the worst is the magazine capacity limit.

  11. I live in Massachusetts. Do I really have to say more?

    Fortunately, I live in a red town that manages to tread water in a sea of blue. So while the limited firearms choices, the Commonwealth’s AWB and other restrictions remain a perpetual pain in the ass, I can and do carry, and there aren’t many prohibited places. Many of my brothers and sisters in blue states can’t say the same.

    • Thankfully Barnstable County is primarily red. We have our hyperblue enclaves like Wellfleet and Provincetown but for the most part I can’t bitch about my town either.

  12. Arizona here. The only complaint I have is lack of national reciprocity for our CCW permits.

    Unfortunately this complaint applies everywhere.

  13. There seems to be a lot of variation among the Fs. Texas and Florida strike me as way more restrictive than say Maine or Vermont – or even NH, which must have gotten extra credit for having a Democratic governor to bump it up ( down?) to a D.

    Couldn’t have Texas not be an F I guess. More made up stats…

    • I mean the only complaint I have with our gun laws is no campus carry or constitutional carry. Everything else that’s a pain is federal. Unless I’m forgetting something.

      Full stand your ground law.
      Vehicle is extension of your home.
      CLEO must sign on NFA.
      Nothing goofy about purchasing.
      No registration.

  14. Odd. My state, Kansas, gets an F yet has a lower per-capita murder rate than California or Illinois. I can’t imagine why. We share the same murder rate as New York, yet they get an A.

    Lol.

  15. The worst “laws” restricting gun owners/carriers in Wyoming?

    No restrictions at all on open carry except “federal property.”

    But the useless restrictions on where one supposedly can and can’t carry concealed are a nuisance (at least to those who bother to worry about it). Can’t figure out why CC could be so dangerous in a bar or other places when we can and do carry there openly and nobody gives a damn. At least we don’t need any stinking “license” for either one now.

    • No restrictions at all on open carry except “federal property.”

      Ironic, considering the Federal Government is the one entity restricted from saying anything about firearms (2nd Amendment).

  16. Maryland definitely has some really restrictive laws. It deserves to be high up there with CA, CT, NJ, and NY though I notice it doesn’t often get mentioned.

  17. WOOOOHOOOOO!!! Not only DOES OK get
    T H E – P O S – C O M M U N I S T ‘Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence’ GRADE OF “F”,

    “F” is what we don’t give, “F” is what T H E – P O S – C O M M U N I S T ‘Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence’
    CAN DO TO THEMSELVES WITH SOMETHING SHARP AND HEAVY.
    F THE COMMUNISTS!!!

  18. Colorado rated as “high” (i.e., low) as a C? Let’s see…open carry anywhere but the actual city and county of Denver. (Denver is conveniently located only 20 minutes away from Colorado). No restrictions (beyond those in Federal law) on the types of guns owned. Carry almost anywhere is legal (we don’t have bar restrictions). On the down side, we have an almost meaningless and almost universally ignored mag limit (of 15) and UBC. One thing we don’t have is a CHP card serving as a substitute for an instacheck. On the whole, though, I’d take our gun laws over those in places like Texas. That’s it as far as the (il)liberal wish list. Of course, Chickenlicker is the governor here, so maybe they “upped” (lowered) the grade. I can’t believe an anti gun group would seriously want to give Colorado anything “higher” than a D-.

    • I agree, I think we got the C- more for tyranny potential than for actual tyranny.
      Minuses:
      The stupid unconstitutional magazine ban that everyone ignores and that was so poorly written that my sheriff termed it unenforceable. No has ever been actually charged with breaking it. (One guy came close but they dropped it to pursue federal charges.)
      Concealed carry permits cost $152. That seems really excessive to me.
      Our stupid universal background check law makes it so they can’t have those “gun buy back” dog and pony shows, so no cheap guns to had there.
      Plusses (outside Denver/Boulder of course):
      No restrictions on “assault rifles”, suppressors, open carry, church carry, bar carry, library carry
      Private property no gun signs have no actual force of law. (All they can do is kick you out)
      Carry permits are shall issue and easy to get even though they cost $152
      Concealed in your car doesn’t count as concealed
      CSU has had campus concealed carry for about a decade
      The “Make my day” law goes so far beyond castle doctrine

  19. WV has a D- but that’ll change next month when the legislature passes constitutional carry (over the veto of our (D) governor). Lookin’ forward to that big ol’ red F! 🙂

    • Yeah about the D- for WV. How in the hell did we score so well? We are a must issue, open carry state swimming with guns and gun owners? Hell we even have both the “stand you ground” and “castle doctrine” laws.

      Embarrassing and it just don’t make sense.

  20. Worst restrictions for me is the stupid carry permit. For some asinine reason a gun in your car counts as concealed carry. You can walk around all day just about anywhere you please with one strapped to your hip but if a jacket blows over it or you get into a vehicle all of a sudden it’s “concealed carry.”

    Granted a permit is cheap, good for years and you get it without hassle in a week or less but legislative stupidity like the magic that occurs when you put on a jacket or get into a car drives me so f@#$ing nuts I can hardly stand it.

    Only thing worse is moron representatives and a dimwit governor who argue in favor of maintaining the track record of stupidity.

    In some ways I’d prefer straight up totalitarian tyranny. At least it’s being honest. Blue law type shit is just being stupid.

    • I’m guessing you’re from PA as well. You’re absolutely right about the stupidity of the laws and the dimwit governor. The hunting laws are even more stupid than the firearms laws in general. We can’t hunt on Sunday (but we can fish!) or use semi-automatic rifles or handguns. Somehow semi-auto shotguns are ok.

    • A *lot* of states have that idiocy about the gun becoming concealed when you get into your car (fortunately Colorado isn’t one of them). Ohio, for instance, has greatly liberalized (i.e., improved) its laws lately, but they can’t seem to get rid of that one. (If that has, by some miracle, actually changed finally, someone let me know.) Fortunately they finally granted CO reciprocity and the reverse became true as well, so I can “get away with it” in Ohio, not that it’s something anyone should have to think about as “getting away with.”

    • In KY (7th from the bottom with an “F”), a firearm in the vehicle’s glove box or console is NOT a concealed weapon. And “Gun Free Zone” signs do not have the force of law. If you print and are called on it, just leave or be considered trespassing. Open carry is also good (I have seen it several times recently). Y’all are welcome to join.

    • It’s the same in Washington. If you get into a vehicle (car, bus, train), it’s considered concealed. Of course, you can always just pop the mag out and you’re good to go (in case you refuse to get a CPL). Still stupid.

  21. There are way too many stupid infringements and restrictions in NJ to list here. I guess the worst one is no concealed carry, unless you’re a cop, a judge or a politician.

    NJ cops could very easily put pressure on the other two groups to issue permits if they really wanted to. They could encourage people to apply for CCW permits and approve them en masse. This would put tremendous pressure on judges, who are the final step in permit approval. If they wouldn’t budge, the politicians would have to do something about changing the application process for easier approval.

    But the cops won’t do it, because they don’t want to rock the boat. They are happy with their carve-outs and they feel no need to follow the Constitution, because there’s no punishment for them for not issuing the permits. There are exceptions of course, but most NJ cops are no friends of the 2A or the people. I guess that’s why we got the A-.

    • We were probably a “D” before the UBC law took affect.

      We still labor under asking “mother may I” to carry something we can legally own. And pay money to do it.

      Though, the UBC law is easily ignorable. I know lots of people who do. And have.

  22. Michigan has a C from the anti freedom perspective. I’d give my home state a B from the pro rights side. No awb, nfa items legalized(I think?), unlicensed open carry, cpl’s are shall issue, but registration and “universal” background checks for handguns.

  23. In a better world there would only be F’s on that list.

    In an even better world no one would be interested in making “lists”.

    • There’d be, like, one F state with a 100 round limit on magazines and POTG would nickname it in a way that made it sound like a fascist dictatorship, while all other states got an F-.

        • I don’t disagree.

          I was just imagining a world with exactly one (1) infringement in it, one with only symbolic effect but an (unconstitutional and unconscionable) infringement nonetheless, in one state. The current crop of anti-gun clowns would grade it F instead of F-, unless they graded on a curve. We’d still call it “Neu Jersey” or “the PRK.”

  24. I’m happy to see the anti-gun fascists gave PA a C. It helps to keep us under the radar. the reality is we have open carry, low cost carry permits with no training requirements, a lot of pro-gun support in the legislature and lots of venues for enjoying the shooting sports. We do have UBC’s on handguns, and sure, things suck in the cities but elsewhere it’s better than a lot of the F rated states.

  25. “What’s the worst gun control restriction under which you labor?”

    It’s Texas, so where should I start…

    I love my state, and we have a strong gun culture, but there are a lot of Fudds making the laws around here.

  26. No way is MN a C, more like a D. Especially if you compare to CO at C-, we are way more gun friendly than CO. Maybe this list was made before MN legalized gun mufflers.

    • Gun mufflers were already legal in CO, so I don’t know why you seem to think CO’s laws are much worse than Minnesota’s.

      CO will recognize any state that recognizes its permits. MN has rather conspicuously refused to recognize CO’s permit, so if your angst with CO is that your permit isn’t recognized, go bark up your own tree.

  27. OK you know right away it’s wrong.. I like the polka dot says “10 states with the highest gun deaths” but yet. California, Illinois, Atlanta, New York are not Polka doted.. Hmm.. I think something is wrong there..

    • They’re using typical lib misdirection. Gun DEATHS as opposed to gun MURDERS. They include suicides, accidents, and good shoots by police.

  28. Montana is a F.

    The only thing i don’t like about Montana’s gun law’s is you have to get a permit to CC inside city limits, out side of the city limits you can CC with out a permit and you can get a CCP at 18.

    Myself Montana is an A-, could be an A or A+ but it’s still pretty good.

  29. Ah no-Illinois is better than that. It still sucks but has gotten better due to COURT orders. Shall issue(and it’s real), most can buy evil assault rifles and normal mags. FOID also sucks but it lasts 10years-and the vast majority is approved. Chicago and Cook are the epicenter of evil-SEE: John Boch and gunsavelife earlier-the gun and ammo taxes are really aimed at poor black folks…

    • John Boch and his rubber stamp “board” at GSL don’t care about black people in Chicago, they are a mostly all-white group based in Champaign, IL. They do like to pose as a statewide group though.

      They opposed may issue because it would harm black folks in Cook County and Chicago, but didn’t make a peep about Duty to Inform w/ criminal penalties, because Boch teaches and attends gun training with lots of cops, and to the hicks in southern IL, police are their friends, and they think they are junior cops now with their cc licenses.

  30. The worst thing is I have to pay 50 bucks for “permission ” to CC in city limits. 95% of my state is permit less.

  31. I’m pretty ashamed of our C score here in Michigan. Come on, Michigan, we can do better. If we were to get rid of our absolutely stupid handgun registration law, allow for concealed carry in more places (and get constitutional carry), and allow for the carry of loaded long guns, we could get an F score.
    A side note, how did we score higher then Colorado? I’m not happy with our restrictions, but I will take them every day of the week over a draconian magazine capacity limit.

    • “Draconian”? It’s unenforceable and almost universally ignored, and the limit is high enough that many doublestacks are unaffected.

      I don’t like it, but with the grandfathering, it’s almost toothless. I’ll take it over an outright ban like CA has, any day of the week.

    • Michigan, I think gets a “C” from Gun Grudge, Inc. because it is a mixed bag. But it also depends on where we fit individually in the overal, picture (timeline, county of residence, etc). My timeline starts when I was a boy living in a semi-rural area not far from Detroit (way back). We shot BB guns and .22s at our makeshift “gun range” which actually was across the gravel road in front of the house. I was shooting pheasants out of my bedroom window when I was seven. Then we moved a short distance “into town” where all that disappeared. But we had a high school gun club and members carried their own or Dad’s deer rifle in soft cases to school on “range days.” Box of ammo in hip pocket.

      Also, lived in Oakland Cty. into my late 20s then moved to Washtenaw. Night and day – Took 5 days to get my first CPL and that was late 60s. Washtenaw: impossible to get CPL renewed or get a new one if old one lapsed.
      That held true until Shall Issue passed (2002) and now, even in Ann Arbor, the police, the county clerk and most people don’t bat any eye about your having a gun under your jacket. Since 2002: the number of Michigan CPLs rose from long-time avg. of 50K to 500K as of this month.

      Point I’m making: everyone experiences gun control differently, individually. Those who have gun training, gun familiarity have radically different views than “no guns in my life” people. In Michigan and nationally: despite what media says – there’s been steady improvement for gun rights since the mid-1990s. That’s also despite (even) the Obama / Hillary Era.

  32. ‘What’s the worst gun control restriction under which you labor?’

    Shouldn’t that read ‘What’s the worst infringement on your rights?’

    Here in Iowa, no NFA but there’s no mag capacity limits, ‘no firearms’ signs don’t carry the weight of law and you can bar carry, so I’d give the state a B-. LCPGV’s C- is probably a touch pessimistic.

  33. Probably the worst law in NC is the handgun purchase permit. If you have a CHP, that’s serves, but everyone else has to get permission from the Sheriff to buy a handgun, PER purchase. Still have to pass NICS at point of sale, so I’m personally not sure what this really accomplishes, aside from making a few bucks (or appearing to) for the county.

    The issue was in the General Assembly recently to get rid of it, and a minority of vocal Sheriff’s (such as the one from the very Progressive Buncombe County) got the Sheriff’s Association to lobby against the change.

    The lobbying cry was “Law and Ordah!” which still appeals to a lot of southern “conservatives.”

    The other thing a lot of folks seem to complain about is that No Guns signs do have force of law. I see so few of them in my area, so I’m not sure this is much a practical problem so much as an ideological one. Maybe there are more signs in other parts of the state…

    • Iowa has permits to purchase but you pass your NICS check before it’s issued and then you can buy without a NICS check for a year. I think the permit to purchase is issued within 3 days while the permit to carry can take up to 30 days (if your sheriff is a butthole). It’s been so long since I’ve waited at a dealer for my NICS check to go through I have no idea how long they take anymore.

  34. Firearms safety extortion card. Gun gaol for all those lovely gats. One new pocket popstick per month. CCW requires an act of Doge. I have to spend moar for mags with less bullits in ’em. AR’s need a pokey thing for more pew-pew-pew.

    I’m going cut it off here but continue the silliness in the confines of mine own mind.

  35. I read this article a while ago and said, “hmm, ok, so what is the cause then if it isn’t gun laws?”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/10/06/zero-correlation-between-state-homicide-rate-and-state-gun-laws/

    I believe population, population density, income and demographics play bigger roles in crime than firearms laws so I wanted to see what the data told me. In the 10 highest homicide states, the population is 2 million higher, persons per square mile are nearly 1,000 people higher (DC throws it off), household income is 10k lower. The biggest difference was race…i would have liked to get into 2 parent households or marriage statistics, but I am guessing they would have also been consistent with the other numbers!

    AVERAGE OF 10 LOWEST HOMICIDE STATES
    Population: 2.4 million
    Caucasian: 84%
    African american: 2.7%
    Latino 8%
    Persons per square mile: 148
    Home ownership: didn’t calculate but it’s about 70%
    Household income: 58k
    ———————————

    New Hampshire –
    Population: 1.3 million,
    Caucasian: 94%,
    African america: 1.5%
    Latino 3.3%
    Persons per sqaure mile 147,
    Home ownership: 71%
    Household income: 65K

    Vermont
    Population: 626k
    Caucasian: 95%
    African america: 1.2%
    Latino 1.8%
    Persons per square mile: 67.9
    Home ownership: 71%
    Household income: 54K

    Iowa
    Population: 3 million
    Caucasian: 92%
    African america: 3.4%
    Latino: 5.6%
    Persons per sqaure mile: 54
    Home ownership: 72%
    Household income: 51K

    Massachusetts
    Population: 6.7 million
    Caucasian: 82%
    African american: 8.3%
    Latino: 10.8%
    Persons per sqaure mile: 839
    Home ownership: 63%
    Household income: 66k

    Utah
    Population: 3 million
    Caucasian: 91%
    African america: 1.3
    Latino 13.5%
    Persons per square mile: 33
    Home ownership: 70%
    Household income: 60K

    Minnesota
    Population: 5.4 millioi
    Caucasian: 85%
    African america: 5.9%
    Latino 5.1%
    Persons per sqaure mile: 66
    Home ownership: 72%
    Household income: 70K

    Maine
    Population: 1.3 million
    Caucasian: 95%
    African american: 1.4%
    Latino 1.5%
    Persons per square mile: 43
    Home ownership: 71%
    Household income: 48K

    Hawaii
    Population: 1.4 million
    Caucasian: 26%
    African american: 2.5%
    Latino 10%
    Persons per square mile: 211
    Home ownership: 57%
    Household income: 67K

    Idaho
    Population: 1.6 Million
    Caucasian: 93%
    African american: .8
    Latino: 12%
    Persons per square mile: 19
    Home ownership: 70%
    Household income: 46K

    Wyoming
    Population: 584K
    Caucasian: 92%
    African american: 1.6%
    Latino 9.8%
    Persons per sqaure mile: 5.8
    Home ownership: 70%
    Household income: 57K

    ———————————————–
    AVERAGE OF 10 HIGHEST HOMICIDE STATES
    Population: 4.5 million
    Caucasian: 68%
    African american: 26%
    Latino: about 5%
    Persons per square mile: 1,133.4 (DC throws it way off)
    Home ownership: didn’t calculate but it’s roughly the same as the 10 safest states with the

    exception of DC
    Household income: 48K

    Arkansas
    Population: 3 million
    Caucasian: 79%
    African american: 15.6%
    Latino: 7%
    Persons per sqaure mile: 56
    Home ownership: 66%
    Household income: 40K

    Maryland
    Population: 6 million
    Caucasian: 60%
    African american: 30%
    Latino: 9.3%
    Persons per square mile: 594
    Home ownership: 67%
    Household income: 73K

    Tennessee
    Population: 6.5 million
    Caucasian: 78%
    African american: 17%
    Latino: 5%
    Persons per square mile: 153
    Home ownership: 67%
    Household income: 44K

    Missouri
    Population: 6 million
    Caucasian: 83%
    African american: 11.8%
    Latino: 4%
    Persons per square mile: 87
    Home ownership: 68%
    Household income: 47K

    Michigan
    Population: 10 million
    Caucasian: 79%
    African american: 14%
    Latino: 4.8%
    Persons per square mile: 174
    Home ownership: 72%
    Household income: 48K

    South Carolina
    Population: 5 million
    Caucasian: 68%
    African american: 27%
    Latino: 5.4%
    Persons per square mile: 153
    Home ownership: 69%
    Household income: 44K

    Alabama
    Population: 5 million
    Caucasian: 69%
    African american: 27%
    Latino: 4%
    Persons per square mile: 94
    Home ownership: 69%
    Household income: 44K

    Mississippi
    Population: 3 million
    Caucasian: 59%
    African american: 38%
    Latino: 3%
    Persons per sqaure mile: 63
    Home ownership: 69%
    Household income: 39k

    Louisianna
    Population: 4.6 million
    Caucasian: 63%
    African american: 32%
    Latino: 4.8%
    Persons per square mile: 104
    Home ownership: 67%
    Household income: 44K

    DC
    Population: 658K
    Caucasian: 43%
    African american: 49%
    Latino: 10%
    Persons per square mile: 9,856
    Home ownership: 42%
    Household income: 65K

  36. Hawaii is a B+? That should be a B+S ranking which equals an F. Hawaii has a very restrictive CCW policy (may issue only after proper justification and final approval by the county Chief of Police) that is almost impossible to meet. Handguns are limited to 10 round magazines, even for LEOSA qualified individuals. Firearm registration requires a 14-day waiting period (even if you have previously registered and own firearms) and requires three trips to the PD, one to request the permit to acquire, another to get the approved permit after the mandatory waiting period, and lastly to bring the firearm back for a visual inspection and final registration.

    Further, the Honolulu Police Department is now requiring prospective firearm owners to submit a written letter from the owner’s physician that the person that specifically states that the individual “has been medically documented to be no longer adversely affected by the addiction abuse, dependence, mental disease, disorder or defect.” What does the phrase “no longer adversely affected” mean to you?

    This treatment of law abiding firearm owners doesn’t deserve a B+ rating.

    • You do realize that it’s a gun control group that gave these grades out, right? The scale is upside down. An A+ sucks and an F- is wonderful. (Think bra sizes.)

      Or perhaps I misunderstood you and you are claiming Hawaii should have gotten an A+ from that group.

  37. I agree that Houston should be marked F. Police out here ignore the laws and arrest people and let them figure it out in the court room.

    That goes beyond just gun laws.

  38. It makes me bonkers to see chart and statistic heavy websites like that with zero links to where they source their data. Without sources those charts might as well be fantasy. Justify your statements! Ugh.

    We know why, of course. If we could see the raw data we could nitpick and prove it wrong. They can’t have that, can they?

  39. Just completely reverse the list of the states, and then you have the correct grades. i.e. every “F” is actually an “A”

    Also keep this mind:

    Florida is not included because it does not appear in Table 20 of the FBI’s UCR Data Tables.
    Alabama is not included due to limited homicide and supplemental weapons data.

    Alaska: 12 total for 1.63 per 100K || Ownership rate: 61.7%
    Arizona: 184 total for 2.78 per 100K || Ownership rate: 32.3%
    Arkansas: 110 total for 3.72 per 100K || Ownership rate: 57.9%
    California: 1,224 total for 3.19 per 100K || Ownership rate: 20.1%
    Colorado: 88 total for 1.67 per 100K || Ownership rate: 34.3%
    Connecticut: 60 total for 1.67 per 100K || Ownership rate: 16.6%
    Delaware: 33 total for 3.56 per 100K || Ownership rate: 5.2%
    D.C.: 81 total for 12.53 per 100K || Ownership rate: 25.9%
    Georgia: 411 total for 4.11 per 100K || Ownership rate: 31.6%
    Hawai’i: 6 total for 0.43 per 100K || Ownership rate: 45.1%
    Idaho: 15 total for 0.93 per 100K || Ownership rate: 56.9%
    Illinois: 364 total for 2.83 per 100K || Ownership rate: 26.2%
    Indiana: 238 total for 3.62 per 100K || Ownership rate: 33.8%
    Iowa: 18 total for 0.58 per 100K || Ownership rate: 33.8%
    Kansas: 78 total for 2.7 per 100K || Ownership rate: 32.2%
    Kentucky: 111 total for 2.53 per 100K || Ownership rate: 42.4%
    Louisiana: 356 total for 7.7 per 100K || Ownership rate: 44.5%
    Maine: 12 total for 0.9 per 100K || Ownership rate: 22.6%
    Maryland: 268 total for 4.52 per 100K || Ownership rate: 20.7%
    Massachusetts: 78 total for 1.17 per 100K || Ownership rate: 22.6%
    Michigan: 440 total for 4.44 per 100K || Ownership rate: 28.8%
    Minnesota: 60 total for 1.11 per 100K || Ownership rate: 36.7%
    Mississippi: 110 total for 3.68 per 100K || Ownership rate: 42.8%
    Missouri: 273 total for 4.52 per 100K || Ownership rate: 27.1%
    Montana: 9 total for 0.89 per 100K || Ownership rate: 52.3%
    Nebraska: 39 total for 2.09 per 100K || Ownership rate: 19.8%
    Nevada: 87 total for 3.12 per 100K || Ownership rate: 37.5%
    New Hampshire: 5 total for 0.38 per 100K || Ownership rate: 14.4%
    New Jersey: 291 total for 3.27 per 100K || Ownership rate: 11.3%
    New Mexico: 59 total for 2.83 per 100K || Ownership rate: 49.9%
    New York: 362 total for 1.84 per 100K || Ownership rate: 10.3%
    North Carolina: 315 total for 3.2 per 100K || Ownership rate: 28.7%
    North Dakota: 4 total for 0.55 per 100K || Ownership rate: 47.9%
    Ohio: 309 total for 2.67 per 100K || Ownership rate: 19.6%
    Oklahoma: 127 total for 3.3 per 100K || Ownership rate: 31.2%
    Oregon: 43 total for 1.09 per 100K || Ownership rate: 26.6%
    Pennsylvania: 440 total for 3.44 100K || Ownership rate: 27.1%
    Rhode Island: 18 total for 1.71 per 100K || Ownership rate: 14.4%
    South Carolina: 224 total for 4.69 per 100K || Ownership rate: 44.4%
    South Dakota: 3 total for 0.36 per 100K || Ownership rate: 35.0%
    Tennessee: 223 total for 3.43 per 100K || Ownership rate: 39.4%
    Texas: 760 total for 2.87 per 100K || Ownership rate: 35.7%
    Utah: 31 total for 1.07 per 100K || Ownership rate: 31.9%
    Vermont: 5 total for 0.8 per 100K || Ownership rate: 28.8%
    Virginia: 225 total for 2.72 per 100K || Ownership rate: 29.3%
    Washington: 86 total for 1.23 per 100K || Ownership rate: 27.7%
    West Virginia: 30 total for 1.62 per 100K || Ownership rate: 54.2%
    Wisconsin: 103 total for 1.80 per 100K || Ownership rate: 34.7%
    Wyoming: 9 total for 1.54 per 100K || Ownership rate: 53.8%

    Most dangerous states, homicides committed with firearms

    Top 10

    1. Washington, D.C. – 12.53 per 100K || Ownership rate: 25.9%
    2. Louisiana – 7.7 per 100K || Ownership rate: 44.5% “F”
    3. South Carolina – 4.69 per 100K || Ownership rate: 44.4% “F”
    4. Maryland – 4.52 per 100K || Ownership rate: 20.7% “A-”
    5. Missouri – 4.52 per 100K || Ownership rate: 27.1% “F”
    6. Michigan – 4.44 per 100K || Ownership rate: 28.8% “C”
    7. Georgia – 4.11 per 100K || Ownership rate: 31.6% “F”
    8. Arkansas – 3.72 per 100K || Ownership rate: 57.9% “F”
    9. Mississippi – 3.68 per 100K || Ownership rate: 42.8% “F”
    10. Indiana – 3.62 per 100K || Ownership rate: 33.8% “D-”

    avg. 5.35 per 100K @ 35.75%

    11. Delaware: 3.56 per 100K || Ownership rate: 5.2% “B”
    12. Pennsylvania: 3.44 100K || Ownership rate: 27.1% “C”
    13. Tennessee: 3.43 per 100K || Ownership rate: 39.4% “F”
    14. Oklahoma: 3.3 per 100K || Ownership rate: 31.2% “F”
    15. New Jersey: 3.27 per 100K || Ownership rate: 11.3% “A-”
    16. North Carolina: 3.2 per 100K || Ownership rate: 28.7% “F”
    17. California: 3.19 per 100K || Ownership rate: 20.1% “A-”
    18. Nevada: 3.12 per 100K || Ownership rate: 37.5% “F”
    19. Texas: 2.87 per 100K || Ownership rate: 35.7% “F”
    20. Illinois: 2.83 per 100K || Ownership rate: 26.2% “B+”
    21. New Mexico: 2.83 per 100K || Ownership rate: 49.9% “F”
    22. Arizona: 2.78 per 100K || Ownership rate: 32.3% “F”
    23. Virginia: 2.72 per 100K || Ownership rate: 29.3% “D”
    24. Kansas: 2.7 per 100K || Ownership rate: 32.2% “F”

    avg. 3.09 per 100K @ 29.01%

    Bottom 25

    25. Ohio: 2.67 per 100K || Ownership rate: 19.6% “D”
    26. Kentucky: 2.53 per 100K || Ownership rate: 42.4% “F”
    27. Nebraska: 2.09 per 100K || Ownership rate: 19.8% “D”
    28. New York: 1.84 per 100K || Ownership rate: 10.3% “A-”
    29. Wisconsin: 1.80 per 100K || Ownership rate: 34.7% “D”
    30. Rhode Island: 1.71 per 100K || Ownership rate: 14.4% “B+”
    31. Connecticut: 1.67 per 100K || Ownership rate: 16.6% “A-”
    32. Colorado: 1.67 per 100K || Ownership rate: 34.3% “C-”
    33. Alaska: 1.63 per 100K || Ownership rate: 61.7% “F”
    34. West Virginia: 1.62 per 100K || Ownership rate: 54.2% “D-”
    35. Wyoming: 1.54 per 100K || Ownership rate: 53.8% “F”
    36. Washington: 1.23 per 100K || Ownership rate: 27.7% “B-”
    37. Massachusetts: 1.17 per 100K || Ownership rate: 22.6% “A-”
    38. Minnesota: 1.11 per 100K || Ownership rate: 36.7% “C”
    39. Oregon: 1.09 per 100K || Ownership rate: 26.6% “C”

    avg. 1.69 per 100K @ 31.69%

    Bottom 10

    40. Utah – 1.07 per 100K || Ownership rate: 31.9% “F”
    41. Idaho – 0.93 per 100K || Ownership rate: 56.9% “F”
    42. Maine – 0.9 per 100K || Ownership rate: 22.6% “F”
    43. Montana – 0.89 per 100K || Ownership rate: 52.3% “F”
    44. Vermont – 0.8 per 100K || Ownership rate: 28.8% “F”
    45. Iowa – 0.58 per 100K || Ownership rate: 33.8% “C-”
    46. North Dakota – 0.55 per 100K || Ownership rate: 47.9% “F”
    47. Hawai’i – 0.43 per 100K || Ownership rate: 45.1% “B+”
    48. New Hampshire – 0.38 per 100K || Ownership rate: 14.4% “D”
    49. South Dakota – 0.36 per 100K || Ownership rate: 35.0% “F”

    avg. 0.69 per 100K @ 36.89%

    National average: 2.54 per 100K @ 32.8%

    https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/5tabledatadecpdf/table_5_crime_in_the_united_states_by_state_2013.xls

    https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-20/table_20_murder_by_state_types_of_weapons_2013.xls

    http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2015/06/09/injuryprev-2015-041586.full.pdf?keytype=ref&ijkey=doj6vx0laFZMsQ2

    Granted, the crime and ownership data sets are from 2013 and the subjective so-called “grading” (if you can even call it that) is from 2015, it’s still very plain to see that there is zero correlation between that list and actual, recorded homicide rates whatsoever. So, too, is there zero correlation between those states’ gun control laws and their actual, recorded homicide rates whatsoever.

  40. D. I’d say it’s a fair placement Virginia is kind of moderate when it comes to laws not the worst but certainly not what I’d prefer. And I can’t believe I ever hoped to see a bad grade.

  41. SC is pretty gun friendly.Nothing is banned except open carry.Some things could be a little better and i could be living in California.

    • It’s not obvious to you, perhaps, but SC seems to have trouble with the concept of recognizing other states’ permits. A bit of an anomaly for such an otherwise-friendly state.

      • I’m not sure how many other states SC recognizes, but they do recognize us (NC) but of course there is the whole brethren thing and sharing of a football team.

  42. So let me see if I understand these ratings…

    A – atrocious
    B – bad
    C – could be worse
    D – doing well
    F – fantastic

  43. Holy CRAP! New York and California get an A MINUS!? MINUS?!

    That right there goes to show that gun control advocates will NEVER be satisfied with anything other than total civil disarmament. Then they’ll start on Co2 and black powder and, as Sonny and Cher said, “the beat goes on”.

    • Yeah I found it very telling that they left DC out. Probably because with a gun ownership percentage of 3.6%, they have a murder rate of 21.6 per 100k, and gun murders at 16.8 per 100k. 2010 data. Head and fuckin shoulders above every other state in the Union. And the lowest gun ownership percentage, with only Hawaii also being in the single digits at 6%.

  44. Sigh. A- here. CT

    Of well, usually top of of the list for things like population departing, deteriorating infrastructure, economy crashing, quality of life (outside some suburban redoubts) generally sucking, and, well, just general overall misery.

    Progress!

    Still revolutionary, though. Just like the the idiot slogan we probably paid half a million bucks for. Damn you to hell, Dannel, you Tammany Hall sh*tbird retread.

    The day I drive out of his god forsaken northeastern hell hole for good I’m blasting Shane McGowan’s version of a “What a Wonderful World”, loading up my magazines, and never, ever looking back. I know there is a better America out there.

    You guy and gals in free states never, ever – and I mean never – give them a damn inch. Otherwise, you end like me in a line, in the cold, rain falling, a supplicant in sackcloth and ashes with a signed and notarized “declaration of high capacity magazines.” Been here. Done that.

    And I mean this with all my heart:

    Never again. Seriously.

    Never.

    Again.

    • Joey Ramone’s version, sorry.

      Albeit – McGowan has a pretty rocking cover of “My Way”.

      Oh, and, yeah, in local news, CT still really, really sucks.

      Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

  45. I propose a 10 day waiting period to publish or broadcast any non emergency news.
    Same waiting period should be imposed on anyone wanting to assemble for a protests.
    All post to social media will be held for 10 days before they go public. During this period edits may be made by the one posting the message, however, the 10 day period will start over at time of last edit.

  46. Finally, a list I can be glad to see my home state near the bottom of. Given how things have been doing in recent years, we need all the armed assistance we can get.

  47. Pretty great, actually. Despite all the things I really dislike about Kansas, at least our gun laws are fantastic. It’s really the only thing that makes me even briefly reconsider my plans to move sometime in the next year. I’d hate to end up somewhere with more restrictive laws, and that’s almost a guarantee.

  48. lol, I was disappointed Indiana got a D- until I understood the BS this page is spouting and understood the criteria. So a reverse D- is a A-? I can live with that.

  49. I’ve looked before but I forget what skews Pennsylvania’s gun laws so that the antis think we’re ‘up there’.

    If you live anywhere in PA other than Philly, Pittsburgh or their immediate surrounding commie counties, you enjoy a good deal of gun freedom.

    Biggest bitch about PA is their illegal hand gun registration database. Which isn’t a database. So that’s why it’s not REAL illegal.

  50. Yahhhhhhh we still get an “F”.
    Aint it Great in the “Gun”Sunshine State.
    I couldn’t be prouder. Until we get open carry again.

  51. Right SC is an nightmare for out of state residenzler and not an state that respect the second adment

    http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/southcarolina.pdf

    http://www.usacarry.com/concealed_carry_permit_reciprocity_maps.html

    http://www.bilderload.com/daten/scVFZJD.jpg

    This is realy on the top to do liste white open carry and legalize public transportation 4 this state.
    An honoring nightmare in combination white no shall issue for it s permit created an dangerous place for non residenzler 🙁

    On of the worst shall issue states

  52. Point I’m making: everyone experiences gun control differently, individually. Those who have gun training, gun familiarity have radically different views than “no guns in my life” people. In Michigan and nationally: despite what media says – there’s been steady improvement for gun rights since the mid-1990s. That’s also despite (even) the Obama / Hillary Era.

    I’m glad to see others being smart, analytical about this information. I’m a little concerned that gun rights people have self-divided and seem a bit too interested in contesting things like open carry. The fact is: if you are carrying a gun legally – YOU ARE bearing arms.

    We all know: our view of gun control / gun rights is mainly based on our personal experience when-or-if we are able to keep and bear arms, with our without licensing. Not mentioned but important: so far, in most states where Shall Issue licensing is in force: the states do not significantly interfere with us. That is, no more than the states interfere with those licensed to drive a motor vehicle. Shall Issue exists (according to sources like the NRA) in over 40 states. We are 80% there. More important, I think, is that this level of gun rights recognition reflects the political stance of those 40 states in Congress and in state legislatures. WE have the numerical advantage, not the Gun Grudge Faction.

    Look at the Gun Grudge chart: they can see for themselves there are only 11 states they rank “A”. That’s versus 18 states they rank “F.” So even by their own measure: they are far from having their ideal. Because I live in a “C” ranked state, I can say that gun rights in my state are both recognized and accepted. I have long guns and pistols and I have a concealed carry license. I can bear arms, I have the right to defend myself without danger of being punished for it. Taking “C” through “F” into account – our advantage over the Gun Grudge Minority is obvious.

  53. The question asked is: “What’s the worst gun control restriction under which you labor?”

    As a Michigan resident (life long) I can honestly say that the biggest gun control measure that’s most troublesome (and dangerous) is the Gun Free Zone. This I believe is also the biggest national problem because, it directly affects our freedom to travel and to be in place where we have every right to be -WITH the inalienable right to SELF DEFENSE!! Who are these yahoos who get to choose when/where I can defend myself or my children (or those of others)?? What gives them the authority to cancel OUR right to actively defend against attack (which can come at any time, anywhere)? Answer: they DO NOT HAVE that authority but, so far, we have been unable to topple this usurpation of an essential right.

    If I am called to jury duty: I cannot bring my sidearm and just check it in with the deputies who guard the entrance to the court house. That would be acceptable to me but even that sensible provision is omitted. We are expected to either leave our gun in our car (if you have a car or need one to get to the courthouse) OR leave it at home where it cannot then be used ON THE WAY to the courthouse. Stupid, stupid, stupid – and a violation of rights.

    Same story with schools: an adult cannot take their own child or (for example) a niece or nephew to school and be armed if you have reason to enter the school. Nor can an adult take a student of any school to in-school event like concerts and school plays.

    Ann Arbor is where the University of Michigan is located. It’s a giant university with a large “main campus” a huge hospital and other properties taking up much of the eastside downtown area. If you want to WALK across that campus, you have to literally walk blocks out of your way to avoid U of M’s “gun free zone.” And U of M has it’s own police force so they can arrest you if you’re “detected” crossing with your sidearm.

    We MUST have a national abolition of Gun Free Zones. We MUST have a national RECIPROCITY LAW mandating that states like California accept concealed carry licenses from other states – just like all states recognize drivers licenses from all other states.

  54. Gosh, an “F” for Idaho. I am so proud …. (sniff … quiet tears … ) so happy … Now we need to try for an F-, or a “G”. Gotta pass Constitutional Carry this year.

  55. IL would not be so bad if NRA contract lobbyist Donald Todd Vandermyde didn’t keep making it worse. When the U.S. Federal District Court in Chicago struck down IL’s concealed weapons statute in Dec. 2012, IL gun owners had a once in fifty year opportunity to pass a decent carry bill.

    Unfortunately for posterity, Vandermyde was the NRA’s pet rat in Springfield, and he wasted no time placing Duty to Inform w/ criminal penalties in Rep. Brandon Phelps “NRA backed” HB183 carry bill, so armed citizens can be harassed, set up, arrested and killed by police criminals with legal cover. Since 95% of NRA members in IL are from all-white small towns and too stupid to read the bills, they think Vandermyde is a hero. Yee-haw!

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