State rankings

Strictest Gun Laws by State

California ranks 1st on Gun Laws Strength Rank in 2025, followed by New Jersey (2nd) and Connecticut (3rd); rank 1 is the best. Wyoming ranks last (50th).

LawPolitics & Government51 states · 4 metricsUpdated Mar 9, 2025Original page
1 source
50 of 51 states
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Gun Laws Strength Rank, 2025

Green is better, red is worse (rank 1 is the best). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 50 ranked

Best first; rank 1 is the best and has the longest bar.

Over time · 2022–2025

The top 5 in 2025; rank 1 at the top.

  • California
  • New Jersey
  • Connecticut
  • New York
  • Massachusetts

Biggest changes · 2024 → 2025

50 states have a value in both years; rank 1 is the best.

Climbed

Fell

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Gun Laws Strength Rank
#
1California1stA7.0 per 100k44th
2New Jersey2ndA4.0 per 100k48th
3Connecticut3rdA5.8 per 100k45th
4New York4thA4.4 per 100k47th
5Massachusetts5thA3.8 per 100k49th
6Illinois6thA12.4 per 100k30th
7Hawaii7thA3.7 per 100k50th
8Maryland8thA-11.6 per 100k38th
9Washington9thA-11.0 per 100k39th
10Colorado10thA-15.3 per 100k21st
11Oregon11thA-14.2 per 100k25th
12Rhode Island12thA-4.6 per 100k46th
13Delaware13thA-11.8 per 100k37th
14Virginia14thB+12.8 per 100k28th
15Minnesota15thB9.8 per 100k43rd
16Pennsylvania16thB11.9 per 100k34th
17Michigan17thB-11.9 per 100k33rd
18Vermont18thB-10.6 per 100k41st
19Nevada19thB-17.2 per 100k17th
20New Mexico20thB-26.6 per 100k2nd
21Maine21stC+11.9 per 100k35th
22Wisconsin22ndC12.1 per 100k32nd
23Nebraska23rdC-10.9 per 100k40th
24Florida24thC-12.7 per 100k29th
25North Carolina25thC-16.3 per 100k19th
26Indiana26thD-17.2 per 100k16th
27Texas27thF13.9 per 100k26th
28Utah28thF13.3 per 100k27th
29South Carolina29thF19.5 per 100k11th
30Ohio30thF14.6 per 100k24th
30Tennessee30thF19.8 per 100k9th
32West Virginia32ndF15.3 per 100k22nd
32North Dakota32ndF12.2 per 100k31st
34New Hampshire34thF10.2 per 100k42nd
35Iowa35thF11.8 per 100k36th
36Alabama36thF23.7 per 100k4th
36Louisiana36thF22.9 per 100k6th
36Oklahoma36thF19.1 per 100k12th
39Alaska39thF24.4 per 100k3rd
40Georgia40thF17.6 per 100k14th
41Arizona41stF16.9 per 100k18th
42Kansas42ndF15.2 per 100k23rd
43Mississippi43rdF28.0 per 100k1st
43South Dakota43rdF17.3 per 100k15th
45Montana45thF20.2 per 100k8th
46Missouri46thF19.6 per 100k10th
46Idaho46thF15.9 per 100k20th
48Kentucky48thF18.5 per 100k13th
49Arkansas49thF20.6 per 100k7th
50Wyoming50thF23.4 per 100k5th
—District of Columbia——19.7 per 100k—

What correlates with Gun Laws Strength Rank (2025)?

Pearson r against 2,111 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states, 1 near-identical series hidden. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that rank better on Gun Laws Strength Rank tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Gun Law Strength (0-100)Polymer80 Legal States
    r = −0.93 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. % Who Voted for BidenMost Liberal States
    r = −0.83 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. % Who Voted for ClintonMost Liberal States
    r = −0.83 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. % Who Voted for HarrisMost Liberal States
    r = −0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Trump Disapproval RatingTrump Approval Rating by State
    r = −0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Democratic Vote Share (President, %)Presidential Election Results by State, 2016–2024
    r = −0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that rank better on Gun Laws Strength Rank tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Favorable Gun Laws RankBest States for Gun OwnersA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.94 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. PVIHow Many States Did Trump Win in 2016?
    r = +0.83 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Republican Vote Share (President, %)Presidential Election Results by State, 2016–2024
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Presidential Margin (Republican minus Democratic, Points)Presidential Election Results by State, 2016–2024
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Trump % Vote RecievedTrump Approval Rating by State
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Trump VotesMost Republican States
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state ranks first on Gun Laws Strength Rank?
California ranks first on Gun Laws Strength Rank in 2025, at 1st, followed by New Jersey (2nd) and Connecticut (3rd). Rank 1 is the best state.
Which state ranks last on Gun Laws Strength Rank?
Wyoming ranks last of the 50 US states with data in 2025, at 50th.
Where does this strictest gun laws by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Annual Gun Law Scorecard - Giffords.