State Firearm Law Navigator

Research on the effects of firearm laws requires good data on when and where such laws have been implemented.

To support this type of research, RAND maintains a longitudinal database of state firearm laws, which is available for free to the public. This database was first released in 2018 and has been revised, updated, and expanded since then. This visualization was released in 2025; the underlying law data are accurate through January 1, 2024. This visualization includes 20 classes of law selected from the full database and many law subclasses.

How it works: Move the slider to select a date between 1979 and January 2024. Select a state to see the text of specific laws that were in effect in a given year in that state.

Download the data: Download the entire data set or construct your own data extract, formatted for time-series analysis.

2024: 41 states have laws

Use the slider to change the year.

Domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs) prohibit an individual who has been served with a DVRO from owning, possessing, or purchasing firearms.

Expanded DVROs extend the prohibition on firearm ownership, purchase, or possession to dating partners. Ex parte prohibitions temporarily prevent an individual who has been served with an ex parte DVRO (executed before the individual appears in court) from owning, possessing, or purchasing firearms. Expanded ex parte prohibitions extend this provision to dating partners.

Evidence for the Effects of Firearm Laws

Having good information about where and when laws have been implemented is just one of the necessary components for understanding the effects of those laws on various outcomes.

As part of the Gun Policy in America initiative, RAND researchers conducted a systematic review of the evidence for the effects of 18 classes of gun laws.

Data and Methodology

To download the full database of laws, see the RAND State Firearm Law Database. For information about the methods that RAND researchers used to construct the database, see the methods documentation. To download a data extract formatted for time-series analysis, see the download tool.

Some terms used in this visualization differ from those used in the database. The following table shows how the law classes are labeled in each.

Visualization Label Database "Law Class" Database "Law Class Subtype" Notes
laws banning the sale of assault weapons firearm sales restrictions "assault weapons ban" or "assault weapons ban - federal"
laws banning high-capacity magazines firearm sales restrictions "ban on high capacity magazines" or "ban on high capacity magazines - federal"
castle doctrine laws castle doctrine "blanks," "expanded 1," "expanded 2," "stand your ground"
child-access prevention laws or safe-storage laws child-access laws "safe storage," "negligent storage," "intentional, reckless, or knowing provision"
concealed-carry laws carrying a concealed weapon (ccw) "prohibited," "may issue," "shall issue," "shall issue (permit not required)"
domestic violence restraining orders prohibited possessor "dvro," "dvro : expanded," "dvro ex parte," "dvro ex parte : expanded"
expanded mental health prohibitions prohibited possessor "mental health : committed to mh facility : outpatient," "mental health : committed to mh facility : voluntary," "mental health : diagnosed with significant behavioral, emotional or mental disorder," "mental health : determined by police to be mentally incompetent/incapacitated/disabled"
extreme-risk protection orders prohibited possessor "erpo," "erpo : expanded," "erpo ex parte," "erpo ex parte : expanded"
firearm safety training requirements safety training required "to carry" or "to purchase" Gun type in "handguns or long guns" column
preempt local gun laws local laws preempted by state "limited," "comprehensive," "comprehensive - punitive"
laws allowing armed staff in K–12 schools firearms in K–12 educational settings school personnel other than peace officers
lost or stolen firearm reporting requirements required reporting of lost or stolen firearms "stolen firearms" or "lost or stolen firearms"
minimum age for possession minimum age "youth possession" or "minimum age possession - federal" Age requirement in "age for minimum age laws" column; gun type in "handguns or long guns" column
minimum age for purchase minimum age "purchase and sale" or "minimum age purchase - federal" Age requirement in "age for minimum age laws" column; gun type in "handguns or long guns" column
permit-to-purchase permit to purchase "required," "optional," "maximum waiting period"
prohibitions associated with violent misdemeanors prohibited possessor "violent misdemeanor," "violent misdemeanor - juvenile," "violent misdemeanor - limited," "not RAND violent misdemeanor"
registration laws prohibited possessor "registration"
sales restrictions firearm sales restrictions "saturday night special ban," "one gun per month," "handgun ban" Gun type in "handguns or long guns" column
universal background checks background checks "private sales" or "permit to purchase" Gun type in "handguns or long guns" column
waiting period waiting period "federal," "waiting periods: de facto (permit required)," or "semi-automatic" Gun type in "handguns or long guns" column

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Credits

Alyson Youngblood (design) and Nelson Correia (development)