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Which states prohibit assault weapons?

9 states have adopted this policy

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Alabama has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Alaska has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Arizona has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Arkansas has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

California has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Colorado has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Connecticut has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Delaware has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Florida has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Georgia has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Hawaii has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Idaho has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Illinois has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Indiana has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Iowa has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Kansas has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Kentucky has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Louisiana has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Maine has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Maryland has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Massachusetts has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Michigan has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Minnesota has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Mississippi has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Missouri has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Montana has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Nebraska has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Nevada has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New Jersey has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New Mexico has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New York has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

North Carolina has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

North Dakota has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Ohio has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Oregon has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Rhode Island has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

South Carolina has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

South Dakota has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Tennessee has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Texas has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Utah has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Vermont has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Virginia has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Washington has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

West Virginia has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Wyoming has not adopted this policy

What It Does

These nine states prohibit the purchase and possession (or in the case of Washington, the sale and manufacture) of assault weapons — high-powered semi-automatic firearms including AR-15 and AK-47 rifles that are used in most high-profile mass shootings. In addition to these states, Hawaii prohibits assault pistols but its law does not cover assault-style rifles. While state definitions vary, assault weapons typically fire rounds with up to four times the muzzle velocity of a standard handgun round—inflicting greater damage on the human body. A full discussion on Assault Weapons is here

The Impact

From 2009 to 2022, nine out of the 10 mass shooting incidents with the most casualties involved the use of at least one assault weapon. A 2021 study found that the federal prohibition on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was associated with a significant decrease in public mass shootings and related casualties, and prevented at least 11 public mass shootings during the 10 years it was in effect. The researchers also estimated that had the law remained in effect from 2005 through 2019, it would have prevented 30 mass shootings that killed 339 people and wounded 1,139 more.

Show Citations and Footnotes
Source: Cal. Penal Code § 30510; Cal. Penal Code § 30515; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-202a; Del. Code Ann. tit. 11, §§ 1465, 1466; Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-1; Md. Code Ann., Crim. Law § 4-301; Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, § 121; N.J. Stat. Ann. § 13:54-1.2; N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00; Washington House Bill 1240 (2023) (to be codified)

9/10: Las Vegas, NV, 471 people shot, 60 fatally; Orlando, FL, 102 people shot, 49 fatally; Aurora, CO, 70 people shot, 12 fatally; Highland Park, IL, 53 shot, 7 fatally; El Paso, TX, 46 people shot, 23 fatally; Fort Hood, TX, 45 people shot, 13 fatally; Sutherland Springs, TX, 45 people shot, 25 fatally; Uvalde, TX, 38 people shot, 21 fatally; San Bernardino, CA, 36 people shot, 14 fatally; and Parkland, FL, 34 people shot, 17 fatally. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Mass Shootings in America,” accessed January 5, 2023m https://everytownresearch.org/maps/mass-shootings-in-america/. 
The mass shooting at Fort Hood is the only incident among these 10 that did not involve an assault weapon. The shooter used a handgun equipped with a high-capacity magazine. Investigators recovered multiple 30-round and 20-round high-capacity ammunition magazines at the scene. “Investigators Detail Ammo Found at Fort Hood Shooting Scene,” Dallas Morning News, October 21, 2010, https://bit.ly/3BmF1kg.

2021 study: Lori Post et al., “Impact of Firearm Surveillance on Gun Control Policy: Regression Discontinuity Analysis,” JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 7, no. 4 (2021): e26042, https://doi.org/10.2196/26042.  Study defined mass shooting as four or more victims killed with a firearm at a public location. Familicides and felony killings were excluded.

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