Hawaii’s aggressive defiance of Supreme Court gun rights decisions has earned it the dubious distinction of being America’s most hostile state for gun owners in 2025, with four other Democrat-controlled states close behind.
Key Takeaways
- Hawaii ranks as the worst state for gun owners due to its strict purchasing requirements and open defiance of Supreme Court decisions on carrying rights.
- Massachusetts, California, New York, and Illinois round out the top five most restrictive states, each imposing significant barriers to gun ownership and carry rights.
- Several traditionally gun-friendly states including Ohio, North Carolina, and Maine have fallen in rankings due to recent restrictive legislation.
- Texas, while improving slightly in rankings to #32 nationally, maintains relatively permissive gun laws including permitless carry despite having an above-average gun violence rate.
- State rankings consider multiple factors including current gun laws, purchase requirements, concealed carry guidelines, sales taxes, and gubernatorial positions on the Second Amendment.
The Five Most Restrictive States for Gun Owners
A comprehensive analysis from “Ammo.com” has identified the states where law-abiding gun owners face the most significant challenges in 2025. Hawaii tops this unfavorable list due to its extraordinarily strict purchasing mandates and what the report describes as open defiance of Supreme Court decisions regarding carrying rights. The state’s comprehensive permit system requires extensive background checks, registration of all firearms, and provides authorities broad discretion to deny permits even to qualified applicants.
Massachusetts follows as the second-worst state for gun owners, primarily due to its restrictive permit-to-purchase requirements and lack of reciprocity with other states. California holds the third position with its expansive assault weapons ban, roster of “approved” handguns that shrinks annually, and onerous carrying requirements. New York and Illinois complete the top five, with both states implementing significant restrictions on firearms purchases, imposing substantial additional taxes on firearms and ammunition, and maintaining governors openly hostile to Second Amendment rights.
As with many political issues, the red states are some of the worst perpetrators, with political wolves in sheep's clothing deceiving their constituents. @GovBillLee has proven to be anti-Second Amendment. https://t.co/B0CPrnpuVq https://t.co/Z4HTUUfUze
— News2A (@News2ATeam) April 30, 2025
Unexpected Challenges in Previously Gun-Friendly States
The report highlights concerning trends in states previously considered relatively gun-friendly. Ohio now ranks 25th due to recent legislative changes that have added new restrictions despite maintaining constitutional carry. North Carolina (24th) and Maine (23rd) have similarly implemented new barriers to gun ownership while preserving some permissive carrying laws. These shifts demonstrate how quickly the legal landscape can change for gun owners, even in states traditionally supportive of Second Amendment rights.
The analysis considers multiple factors in its rankings, including current gun laws, purchase requirements, concealed carry guidelines and restrictions, reciprocity agreements with other states, sales taxes on firearms and ammunition, governors’ voting history and public statements on gun rights, and the state’s interpretation of “stand your ground” laws. The report emphasizes that definitions of legal concepts like “stand your ground” and “duty to retreat” vary significantly between jurisdictions, creating potential legal pitfalls for gun owners who travel between states.
Texas: A Complex Case Study
Texas presents an interesting contrast in the national gun rights landscape. Despite ranking 32nd in gun law strength (a slight improvement from 33rd last year), Texas maintains relatively permissive gun laws compared to the most restrictive states. Since 2021, Texas has allowed carrying concealed handguns without a permit, permitted guns on college campuses, and even requires an armed presence in K-12 schools. However, these policies exist alongside a gun violence rate of 14.9 deaths per 100,000 residents, which exceeds the national average of 13.7.
Texas lacks many restrictions found in other states, such as universal background checks, assault weapons bans, or prohibitions on high-capacity magazines. The state also doesn’t ban accessories like bump stocks or auto sears/Glock switches. However, Texas does prohibit gun possession by felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, and those with certain mental health issues. The state also requires threat assessment programs in schools and has established a dedicated office for gun violence prevention.
According to anti-gun group Everytown for Research, adopting the gun policies of the nine states with the strongest gun control laws could potentially save 35,697 lives in Texas over the next decade – though such claims remain highly contested by Second Amendment advocates who point to other factors driving violence statistics.
Navigating America’s Gun Rights Landscape in 2025
For gun owners, particularly those who travel between states, understanding the complex patchwork of laws governing firearms ownership, transportation, and carrying has never been more important. The significant differences between state laws – and the severe penalties for violations, even when unintentional – create substantial legal risks. Experts recommend that gun owners thoroughly research both state and federal laws before traveling with firearms, as ignorance of local regulations provides no legal protection.
The Ammo.com analysis serves as a reminder that America’s “gun rights” landscape remains highly fragmented and subject to frequent changes. With the 2024 election now concluded and President Trump returning to office, gun rights advocates are hopeful for federal protections, but state-level restrictions continue to pose significant challenges in many regions of the country. Gun owners must remain vigilant about legislative changes and court decisions that may affect their rights and responsibilities in the coming years.
