We all know that governments in some states have great respect for the Second Amendment, while leaders in other states don’t give a second thought to passing yet another law that infringes on citizens’ right to keep and bear arms.
But do you know how your state ranks in relation to the other states in the union? Do you live in a Top 10 state, or are you stuck in one in the bottom 10?
Well, the folks at Ammo.com can help you out with that assessment. In fact, they recently posted a listing of the “Most Gun-Friendly States in 2024,” and some of the rankings might surprise you. I know they did me.
One of the surprises to me was that while most that are high on the list are in the South, Midwest or West, the Number 1 most gun-friendly state was in, of all places, the Northeast. That’s right. New Hampshire is number one.
“New Hampshire is Number 1 thanks to its incredibly relaxed gun laws, low crime rates and lack of state sales tax,” the report stated. “Governor Chris Sununu recently signed into law a bill that restricts the state’s law enforcement from enforcing federal laws that infringe on an individual’s right to gun ownership. Essentially, New Hampshire seems to be the best state for gun owners, with low crime rates and minimal restrictions on firearms and purchases.”
Number 2 on the list was West Virginia—not quite as much of a surprise to me as New Hampshire was.
“As of July 2021, most firearms and ammunition are exempt from the state’s sales tax, but not every firearm gets a pass on taxes,” the report stated. “West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice recently signed legislation that allows CHL holders to carry firearms on college campuses. Legislative actions that remove firearm restrictions are a good indicator that this state will remain on this list for some time.”
Number 3 on the list was Arkansas, which also had a lot going for it as gun ownership is concerned, according to the report.
“Arkansans are lawfully permitted to open or conceal carry firearms under the state’s concealed carry legislationas long as they’re over 18 years of age and legally allowed to possess firearms,” the report stated. “Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders currently intends to sign legislation that solidifies Arkansans’ rights to keep and bear arms. Based on her previous statements and track record, Arkansas will remain high on this list.”
Rounding out the top 10 gun-friendly states, according to the Ammo.com rankings, were Montana (4), Mississippi (5), Missouri (6), Oklahoma (7), Texas (8), South Dakota (9) and North Dakota (10).
If you don’t find your state on that list, you still have a chance to be in the top half of gun-friendly states. Rounding out the top 25 are Idaho (11), Wyoming (12), Alaska (13), South Carolina (14), Alabama (15), Kentucky (16), Tennessee (17), Florida (18), Louisiana (19), Indiana (20), Georgia (21), Iowa (22), Kansas (23), Arizona (24) and Utah (25).
As for that bottom 10—presumably the 10 Gun-Unfriendliest states—they were Hawaii (50), California (49), New York (48), Illinois (47), New Jersey (46), Connecticut (45), Maryland (44), Massachusetts (43), Rhode Island (42) and Michigan (41).
Ammo.com took into account a number of factors in determining the rankings, including current gun laws, current purchase laws, CCW guidelines, CCW reciprocity, 2A-centric taxes, current legislators’ past voting history, current governors’ voting history and stand your ground laws.
If you don’t like where your state landed on the list, take it up with the folks at Ammo.com. Or, better yet, get to work fixing your state’s 2A problems. After all, it is an election year. You can also always move, but not many of us want to do that.
Read the full article here
