Some states in the US are gun-friendly and have weak gun laws to allow the liberal use of firearms within their jurisdiction.
Criteria Used for This States
The criteria used to categorize the weakest gun law states include the following:
May Carry Vs Shall Carry
States that have a May Carry policy for firearms will only issue permits and allow residents to possess firearms based on their lawmaker’s discretion. Hence they usually have strong laws. States with weak gun laws usually have a Shall Carry policy. With this kind of policy, they are obliged to give permits to any resident of the state that meets the requirements for the application of their gun license.
Age Restriction
Another way states limit the people who can possess firearms is with age restrictions. Usually, strong gun law states will only allow those that are twenty-one years old or above to possess firearms. However, gun-friendly states and states with weak gun laws will allow teenagers to possess firearms within their territory.
Permit Limitation
The limitation of permits is another common way to restrict the possession of firearms in states. States give requirements for the application of their permits. Those with weak gun laws have requirements that are easy to meet which makes it possible for a lot of their residents to apply. Also, weak gun law states will allow non-residents to apply for their gun licenses.
Top 10 States With Weakest Gun Laws & Why
Arizona
Arizona is one of the most second amendment-friendly states in the country. It is a shall carry state, so all you need to obtain the gun permit is to meet all gun requirements. Arizona’s public safety department is in charge of the gun permit applications. Also, the open carry of a firearm in Arizona is permitless.
In Arizona, there is no permit issued for the purchase of firearms. If you previously own a gun, you will not need to complete the NICS background check before purchasing another one. The state has a gun reciprocity deal with about twenty other states in the country.
Close to 3,500 residents of the state make their income from gun industries. The minimum age requirement for the possession of a firearm is eighteen years old while the application of a permit is twenty-one years old.
Texas
Texas is another shall carry state for the possession of firearms. The state’s public safety department is in charge of issuing the license, and as long as you meet all enlisted requirements, you will get your permit. You can use the license for both open and concealed carry in the state.
Texas does not require a permit to purchase firearms. They allow the sales, manufacturing, and assembling of firearms for federally registered individuals or businesses.
You can make use of a firearm in Texas if you own a permit from any of the states that it has reciprocity with. Also, non-residents of the state can apply for a Texas gun permit. The age limit for Texas gun permit application is twenty-one years old, but you can transport and possess a firearm as long as you are eighteen years old.
Idaho
Idaho is a shall carry state and the local chief of a county is in charge of issuing the permit. However, it is still a permitless state and you do not require a license to possess a firearm. In 2020 Idaho approved a bill that will allow anyone above the age of eighteen to possess firearms without a license, as long as it is for self-defense purposes.
If you have an Idaho gun permit, you will not need to complete a NICS background check to buy a firearm. Also, non-residents that have lived in the state for 6 months can apply for a gun permit.
Idaho is one of the states with the most gun job opportunities in the USA with more than 11467 gun jobs.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a shall carry state and the state public safety department is in charge of issuing and processing gun licenses. The state does not issue a purchase permit to buy firearms, but completing the NICS background check is an important criterion.
Although the age requirement for the permit application is twenty-one, anyone that is eighteen or more can possess or transport a firearm within the state. Open carry of a firearm in Arkansas does not require a permit.
Arkansas has a reciprocity agreement with about twenty states in the country. Residents from these states can open and conceal carry with permits issued from their state.
The state has about 10 gun-friendly laws, and about 3101 gun-friendly jobs, making it one of the most pro-gun states in the country.
Georgia
With about 18 gun-friendly laws and more than 4000 gun-friendly jobs, Georgia remains one of the states in America with the weakest gun laws.
Georgia is another shall carry state and if you meet all requirements of the state you can apply for your gun license. To apply for a permit, you do not need firearm training like in other states. Although the state has its minimum permit application requirement age as twenty-one, eighteen years olds are allowed to possess firearms.
Also, Georgia does not require permits for the possession of firearms at places of residents, places of work, during hunting, and in a vehicle. It also has a gun reciprocity agreement with more than thirty states in the country.
Mississippi
Mississippi is one of the constitutional carry states in the USA. However, the state still issues gun permits for the possession of firearms. It is a shall carry state and as long as you meet all requirements, the public safety department will issue the gun license.
Mississippi does not require a purchase permit to buy firearms, and open carry in the state does not require the possession of a permit at all. As long as you are eighteen years old with no federal prohibition for the possession of firearms, you can own a gun in Mississippi.
Also, there is no firearm registration for open carry in the state, and there is no magazine limit for guns as it is in some states. Mississippi does not require a background check to buy guns too.
Alabama
Alabama is a shall carry state and the processing of gun permits is done by the sheriff of a local county. To apply for the state gun permit you must be at least eighteen years old. However, the state does not require that you own a permit for open carry.
Alabama also allows out of state permits for non-residents that want to possess firearms within its jurisdiction. The state has a reciprocity deal with more than fifteen states.
Before you purchase a firearm in the state, you must either complete a criminal background check or own a permit. You can also possess firearms in your private resident or vehicle without a permit. The state has more than 3,000 gun-friendly jobs.
Missouri
Missouri is a very friendly state to the gun industry with more than 5,500 available gun jobs. It is a shall carry state and if you meet all gun requirements you will get your gun permit. The sheriff in a local county is responsible for issuing a gun license.
The age requirement for the application of a gun permit in the state is nineteen years old for residents and twenty-one years old for non-residents. Anyone that is eighteen years old or more can possess firearms without a permit in Missouri.
There is no firearm registration for open carry in the state and Missouri gun laws have no magazine limit for firearms which makes it legal to possess a wide range of guns.
Missouri allows the private sale of firearms and no criminal background record is needed for this.
South Carolina
South Carolina is another gun-friendly state that has a shall carry policy. You can possess a firearm in the state as long as you are eighteen years old or more without federal prohibition to use a firearm.
South Carolina gun laws also make it possible to possess firearms within private properties as long as you are eighteen years old or more. However, the age required for the permit is twenty-one years old.
You do not need a permit to open carry firearms in the state, and there is no need for firearms registrations for open carry too. Private dealers in the state are allowed to sell firearms without a federal license. Private dealers also do not have to complete a criminal record check for buyers before selling firearms. There are no magazine limits for firearms in the state too.
Utah
Utah is a shall carry state with the age limit of eighteen required for the possession of a firearm as long as there is no prohibition for the possession of a firearm. Utah allows the open carry of firearms that are unloaded or at least 2 actions away from discharge.
The open carry gun law in Utah is quite complicated. While you do not need a license to open carry handguns, this is not the same for long guns. There is also no need to register a firearm before you open carry in the state.
The possession of handguns in a private vehicle requires a permit while you can possess long guns without a permit. Also, when you are stopped by a law enforcement officer in the state, you have no obligation to tell them that you possess a firearm.
