TABLE 2—
Summary of Changes in State-Level Firearm Laws: United States, 2011–2017
| Policy Subcategory | Explanation of Policy Area | Total Possible Laws, No. | Laws per State, Mean No. | Laws in 25th Percentile, No. | Laws in 75th Percentile, No. | States That Strengthened Gun Control During 2011–2017 | States That Weakened Gun Control During 2011–2017 |
| Concealed carry permitting | Restrictions to concealed carrying of firearms | 7 | 4.01 | 3 | 5 | ID, LA, MI, MO, NC, OH | ID, IL, KS, ME, MO, NH, ND, WV |
| Domestic violence–related laws | Laws aimed at preventing those with a history of domestic violence from purchasing or owning firearms | 21 | 4.16 | 0 | 6.5 | AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, IN, LA, ME, MD, MN, NV, NJ, NY, OR, UT | AL, AR, VA |
| Background checks | Background checks for all sales | 11 | 2.33 | 0 | 4.5 | CO, DE, NV, NY, OR, WA | … |
| Dealer regulations | Regulations around dealer recordkeeping, licensing, and reporting | 17 | 2.68 | 0 | 5 | CO, DE, NY, WA | AL, GA, SC |
| Child safety provisions | Regulations around locking and storage of firearms around minors | 11 | 1.63 | 0 | 3 | CA | … |
| Gun trafficking | Protections against purchasing with intent to resell or purchase without background checks or resell to persons prohibited from gun ownership | 7 | 0.76 | 0 | 2 | CA, IN, MN | … |
| Buyer regulations | Age, permitting, and training requirements for gun purchase | 17 | 2.35 | 0 | 3 | CA, CT, DE, MD, WA | MI, VA, WI |
| Ammunition regulations | Restrictions on purchasing age, recordkeeping, and licensing for sale of ammunition | 7 | 0.69 | 0 | 1 | CT | … |
| High-risk gun owner prohibitions | Prohibitions on gun possession by people with a history of certain mental health problems, substance use, or criminal activity | 10 | 3.06 | 1 | 5 | AL, CT, DE, NV, OR, SC | AL, RI |
| Possession regulations | Restrictions on possession of guns among young people and restrictions on carrying firearms in some areas | 12 | 2.62 | 1 | 3 | CA, CT, OK, WA | AR, GA, IL, MS, MO, OK, SD, TN, TX, WV |
| Assault weapons and large-capacity magazines | Ban on purchase, transfer, and possession of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines | 8 | 0.67 | 0 | 0 | CA, CO, CT, MD, NY | … |
| No preemption | No laws that prohibit local governments from passing firearm regulations that are more stringent than those at the state level | 3 | 0.41 | 0 | 0 | … | IL |
| No “stand your ground” laws | No “stand your ground” legislation in place | 1 | 0.54 | 0 | 1 | … | MO |
| Total | … | 132 | 26.24 | 10 | 30.5 | CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, ID, IN, LA, ME, MD, MN, NV, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, SC, VT, VA, WA, WV | AL, AK, AR, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, MI, MS, MO, NH, ND, OK, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WV, WI |