Here Are the Worst States in America for Gun Owners in 2024

worst states for gun owners 2024 ammo.com
Courtesy ammo.com

If I asked you to name the ten worst states for gun ownership in the US, my guess is that most SNW readers could easily rattle off at least eight of them, if not every damn one of them. Our friends at ammo.com have taken an objective look at the 50 states and come up with the 25 that make up the bottom half in terms of their accommodation to gun ownership. They’ve looked at each state’s current laws, upcoming laws, concealed carry guidelines, self-defense statutes, and 2A-centric taxes in order to come up with their list.

A few lowlights 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.
  • California is the #2 worst state for gun owners due to its permit-to-purchase and reciprocity laws.
  • New York, Illinois, and New Jersey take the #3#4, and #5 spot in our list of worst states for gun ownership due to strict purchasing and carrying requirements.
  • North Carolina, Maine, and Ohio fall into spots #25#24, and #23 due to new restrictive legislation with some relaxed carry laws.
  • Some states rank lower than others due to excessive infringements, additional taxes, and the current Governor’s 2A statements.
  • State and local laws defining Stand Your Ground vs. Duty to Retreat vary and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Click over to ammo.com for the gory details on each state and what’s landed them in the bottom half of the rankings.

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6 thoughts on “Here Are the Worst States in America for Gun Owners in 2024”

  1. Ok this is more pistol and concealed carry related. I had no idea how Delaware could be beating Pennsylvania with it’s assault weapon ban of NJ variety. Now about Nebraska…….

      1. It has always struck me as very odd that most of the Midwestern states are “purple” at best and more typically blue. That goes for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania (not sure if Pennsylvania is a “Midwestern” state or a Middle Atlantic state).

        1. This issue isn’t the total number of the electorate, it’s showing up to vote. Rural voters are among the least likely to vote, while college educated (often urban/suburban) voters are the most likely to vote. The urban centers show up to vote, so they end up controlling more than they should.

  2. I would have chosen the bottom (worst) 11 states probably exactly the same.

    Thus I believe their list is absolutely accurate at least for the bottom (worst) 11 states.

    1. Unfortunately, I live in one of the bottom (worst) 13 states.

      The only reason that my state is not in the bottom five is because my state has not yet (in violation of our state and federal constitutions of course) criminalized standard capacity magazines, “modern sporting rifles”, and suppressors. And my state does not yet have a handgun roster. Otherwise, my state has all of the Pro-gres-sive wet-dream firearm laws.

      To be honest, I am somewhat dumbfounded that my state has not yet gone ahead and banned those items. I am not sure why.

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