Most Gun Friendly States, Scored on the Law

The most gun friendly states on the law: 9 states score a perfect 8 of 8, led alphabetically by Alabama, Florida, Kansas and Kentucky.

Originally published: October 14, 2026

Every “gun friendly states” list online is one guy’s vibes. Ours is eight laws, one point each, and the math is printed right here so you can argue with us. Search for the most gun friendly states and Reddit ranks above every publisher, followed by a YouTube Short and a couple of forums. (Nothing says research like a 40-second video.)

As someone who cares deeply about the right to keep and bear arms, I wanted a clearer way to compare how different states actually treat that right on paper, not in slogans or headlines, but in the statutes that decide whether you can carry without a permit, keep a firearm in your home or vehicle, and defend yourself without unnecessary legal risk. This article scores the most gun-friendly states by the strength of their laws: constitutional carry, open carry, state preemption of local restrictions, stand-your-ground and castle-doctrine protections, and the absence of magazine, assault-weapon, or purchase bans that single out ordinary firearms. The goal is simple—rank the places where the Second Amendment is treated as a real limit on government, not a privilege that has to be licensed, delayed, or carved away.

The Most Gun Friendly States: The Top Tier

Nine states earned every point we hand out. Alphabetically, they are Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Each one lets an eligible adult carry concealed or openly with no permit. None has ever passed a magazine limit, and all nine let you own a suppressor.

They also share the self-defense points. All nine put no duty to retreat on you in public. All nine have a castle doctrine statute with a legal presumption that your fear was reasonable. And all nine offer a pretrial immunity hearing, so a judge can end a self-defense case before trial. Finally, each one blocks cities and counties from writing their own gun rules.

So where is the top 10 of the most gun friendly states? Well, ties make a clean top 10 impossible. Eight more states score 7 of 8: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee. That gives you 17 states in the top two tiers.

Notice what knocks most of them down. Seven of those eight miss only the pretrial immunity point. Georgia is the exception. It has the immunity hearing but not the castle presumption.

Breaking the Tie at the Top

If nine perfect scores is not enough of an answer, here are three tiebreakers from our other maps. None of them is part of the score, so treat them as a coin flip with better information.

• Out-of-state permits: seven of the nine honor every valid out-of-state permit (Florida counts resident permits only). South Carolina and Wyoming honor only the permits on their published lists.
• Telling police: seven of the nine put no duty on you to volunteer that you are armed. Alabama and Oklahoma make you answer truthfully if an officer asks.
• Campus carry: Kansas allows carry on a public university campus. Utah allows it concealed only, South Dakota with an enhanced permit, and Wyoming with a Wyoming permit. Florida, Oklahoma and South Carolina prohibit it, while Alabama and Kentucky leave it to each school.

So if you travel a lot and would rather not talk at traffic stops, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota and Utah clear the first two tiebreakers. Only Kansas clears campus carry with no strings attached. Now you have a winner among the most gun friendly states, at least until somebody moves a comma in Topeka.

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How We Scored the Most Gun Friendly States

Each state gets one point per law, and the law has to be on the books. Here is the full list, with how many of the 50 states earn each point.

Map dates: constitutional carry checked 15 September 2026; stand your ground and castle doctrine verified 5 September 2026; magazine capacity verified 25 August 2026; open carry and preemption updated August 2026; suppressor counts as of August 2026.

Why these eight laws for the most gun friendly states? Because each one changes what you may do or what happens to you afterward. Carry decides whether you can leave the house armed. Magazines and suppressors decide what you may own. The three self-defense points decide how the law treats you after the worst day of your life. And preemption decides whether the rules change every time you cross a city line.

The Full 50-State Scorecard

Here is every state on our most gun friendly states scorecard. Find yours, then read what it missed. The state name links to its full Freedom’s Lodge page, which cites the official sources.

D.C. is not ranked, since it is not a state and our stand your ground and castle doctrine maps cover the 50 states. On the other six laws it would score 0.

The Middle of the Pack

Just below the most gun friendly states, the 6s and 5s are where the scorecard gets interesting, because these states are strong on carry and weak on procedure. Eight states score 6: Alaska, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Every one of them misses the pretrial immunity point, and each misses one more thing on top.

Nevada and Wisconsin still require a permit to carry concealed, though both allow open carry with no permit. Alaska, Indiana and New Hampshire miss the castle presumption. Louisiana, North Dakota and Texas miss full preemption.

Nine states score 5, and they are a mixed bag. Maine and Nebraska are permitless carry states that still impose a duty to retreat in public. Vermont is permitless too but has a magazine limit. Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina and Pennsylvania all still require a permit for concealed carry. Montana and West Virginia miss the castle presumption, pretrial immunity and full preemption.

Missouri and Washington sit at 4. Missouri is permitless for concealed carry, but its cities can require a permit for open carry. Washington allows open carry with no permit but has a magazine limit and requires a permit for concealed carry. So even among the most gun friendly states on paper, the fine print moves the number.

The Bottom of the List

Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York score 0 of 8. They require a permit to carry, cap magazines, ban suppressors, impose a duty to retreat in public and allow local gun rules. None of them has a castle presumption or a pretrial immunity hearing either.

Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey score 1 each, and the lone point is different in every state. Connecticut and Maryland get it for suppressors. Illinois gets it for stand your ground, which comes from its case law. New Jersey’s point is preemption, since the open carry map rates its state preemption as full.

California, Delaware, Oregon and Rhode Island round out the low end at 2. Remember that a low score is a statement about the statutes, not the people. Plenty of good shooters live in New York. They just have more paperwork than the rest of us.

Ties and Judgment Calls

Any scoring system needs rules for the gray areas, so here are mine. First, a magazine limit that a court has blocked still costs the point. Oregon and Virginia both have limits on the books that are not being enforced, and New Jersey’s was struck down and then stayed. A law the legislature passed is still a law the legislature passed.

Second, the scorecard only counts what our verified maps cover. That leaves out waiting periods, and it matters. Florida scores a perfect 8, yet Fla. Stat. 790.0655 imposes a 3-day waiting period on firearm purchases, weekends and holidays excluded. A concealed weapons license holder is exempt. Red flag laws, purchase permits and banned-rifle lists are out for the same reason, and we will add them once each map is verified state by state.

Third, the map’s call stands even when it surprises people. Colorado earns the pretrial immunity point, because its hearing comes from a state supreme court case, People v. Guenther. The stand your ground map notes it applies only against someone who actually made an unlawful entry into the dwelling. Wisconsin earns the stand your ground point as a hybrid, since its map row shows no duty to retreat outside the home through case law.

Florida’s own immunity statute shows what the strongest version looks like. Under Fla. Stat. 776.032, once a defendant raises a prima facie self-defense claim at a pretrial hearing, the burden shifts. The party trying to overcome immunity must then prove its case by clear and convincing evidence.

Why Is Texas Not at the Top?

This one surprises people, so let me get ahead of it. Texas scores 6 of 8. It earns permitless carry, open carry, no magazine limit, stand your ground, the castle presumption and suppressors. But our stand your ground map shows no pretrial immunity hearing in Texas, and the open carry map rates its local preemption as partial rather than full.

Basically, Texas loses on procedure, not on carry. Louisiana and North Dakota miss the same two points and land at 6 as well. If either rule changes, Texas jumps straight into the top tier.

What About New Hampshire?

One competitor’s top-five list admitted New Hampshire “probably should be on the list.” On the law, New Hampshire scores 6 of 8. It earns permitless carry, open carry, no magazine limit, stand your ground, suppressors and full preemption. It misses the castle presumption and the pretrial immunity hearing.

So New Hampshire probably should be on the list, and now it is, right in the middle of it. (Live free or score six.)

What Would Move a State Up?

Most of the movement in 2026 has been on carry. According to our constitutional carry map, West Virginia dropped its youngest permitless age from 21 to 18 on June 12, 2026, and Wyoming did the same on July 1, 2026. Neither change moved a score, since both states already earned the point.

The near misses are where the points live. North Carolina’s SB 50 would create permitless concealed carry. It passed both chambers and was vetoed, and the Senate overrode the veto, but the House has not held its override vote. Pennsylvania’s SB 357 was tabled on June 25, 2026, Wisconsin’s AB 609 died on March 23, 2026, and Michigan’s bills got no hearing. Any one of them would add a point.

The bigger lever for the most gun friendly states is pretrial immunity, since only 11 states offer it. Seven states at 7 of 8 are one immunity statute away from a perfect score.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the least gun friendly state?

Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York tie for last at 0 of 8 on the eight laws scored here. Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey are next at 1.

What is the easiest state to own a gun in?

Any of the 35 states with no magazine limit, and every one of them also allows suppressors. Purchase rules like waiting periods still vary, so check the state page before buying.

Can I carry a gun in my car in all 50 states?

Not loaded. The Freedom’s Lodge constitutional carry map counts 26 states that allow a loaded handgun in your own car with no permit. Federal safe passage under 18 U.S.C. 926A covers only an unloaded gun locked away from the passenger compartment.

Why is my state’s score different from other rankings?

Because this most gun friendly states list scores only written law and shows every point. Other lists add things like sales tax, a governor’s statements or how many gun shops a state has.

There it is, the most gun friendly states in eight laws and fifty answers, and you are welcome to check our math. For every map behind every row, start with our gun law maps and charts page. And if you carry across state lines, Popular EDC keeps a handy carry permit map for travel.

Sources: Freedom’s Lodge constitutional carry, open carry, magazine capacity, stand your ground, castle doctrine and suppressor maps (each state row cites its own statute or agency); Fla. Stat. 790.0655; Fla. Stat. 776.032; 18 U.S.C. 926A.

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James Nicholas

NFA Firearms Manufacturer · Professional Gunsmith for over 20 years · Firearms Writer, Photographer and Firearms Expert. The XDMAN has a talent for taking complex firearms subject matter and breaking it down into an easy-to-understand format that all experience levels can relate to.

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