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As of January 15, 2026, ** states in the United States required background checks and/or permits for the purchase of a handgun. A further **states had some regulations on openly carrying firearms in public; however, only California, Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois had completely prohibited open carry for all firearms. States such as , *, and ** were considered to have the weakest gun control laws.

Gun control and gun violence

The Second Amendment of the Constitution, which states that citizens have the right to bear arms. This has made gun control legislation highly disputed and difficult to introduce on a national level. States with strong gun laws in place experience less gun violence. However, some states with strong gun laws, such as Maryland, continue to face high rates of gun violence.

A culture of gun ownership

In comparison to other high-income countries with stricter gun control laws, the United States has the highest gun homicide rate.ÌýAlmost **** of U.S. households have reported owning at least one firearm, and ** percent of U.S. respondents believed it was more important to protect the right, compared to **percent who said it was more important to limit gun ownership.