I think it’s fair to say that the Firearms Policy Coalition is primarily known for its litigation in the 2A space. Well, that and their no-holds-barred social media presence. The group has increased its lobbying footprint over the past year, though, and FPC’s mission also includes research, legislative and regulatory advocacy, grassroots activism, education, and public engagement.
FPC’s latest project encompasses several aspects of that mission, including education and grassroots activism. The organization debuted its Freedom Index on Friday, giving Second Amendment supporters a look at where their states stand on the right to keep and bear arms.
FPC says states are ranked based on 22 specific criteria spread across four general areas of concern:
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Arms — What can you legally own?
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Acquisition — How can you get it?
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Carry — Where can you bear it?
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Other — Preemption, registration, and more.
There’s no grading on a curve here. In fact, only two states received a perfect score from FPC in its rankings: Kansas and New Hampshire. And the group says several red states are slacking when it comes to strengthening our right to keep and bear arms.
Surprising exactly no one, California finished last at 4.55%. But the real disappointments? The so-called “Freedom State” of Florida scored just 81.82%. Ohio matched Florida’s poor performance. And Nebraska underwhelmed at just 77.27%.
“Every state other than Kansas and New Hampshire has had every opportunity to get to 100%, but instead they chose not to,” said Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs. “That’s not a minor oversight—it’s a betrayal of the People and our fundamental rights. These states need to get their act together and fix their laws to fully respect the right to keep and bear arms.”
Instead of letter grades, FPC has four ranks for states. “Chad State” status is reserved for those states like New Hampshire and Kansas that scored 100% on the FPC’s criteria. “Freeish States” are those with scores between 85% to 99%, followed by “State of Confusion” (70% to 84%), and “State of Disaster” for those below 70%.
Combs is right that some red states aren’t doing all they can to bolster the right to keep and bear arms. We’ve written extensively about the roadblocks on the path to firearm freedom imposed by the Florida Senate, for example, which has stymied multiple pro-2A bills over the past few sessions. I’d put Oklahoma on that list as well, specifically because of the inability to pass campus carry, which is already law in the neighboring states of Kansas and Texas.
There are currently twelve “States of Disaster”, though the dirty dozen could soon get company once Virginia’s onslaught of gun control legislation becomes law on July 1. On the positive side, though, there are several states that are within striking distance of the title of “Chad State”. Texas, Montana, Arizona, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina all have 95% ratings from FPC.
North Carolina’s high ranking actually surprised me, given that the state has had a Democrat governor since 2017. It scored higher than ruby-red states like Idaho (90.91%), Oklahoma (90.91%), and Wyoming (86.26%).
Thanks to the comparison tool, though, I was able to quickly learn that while Oklahoma imposes a ban on carrying firearms at government buildings (other than schools, legislative/executive office buildings, courthouses/judicial offices, jails/prisons, mental health facilities, and military installations) that are open to the public, North Carolina does not.
All in all, FPC’s State Freedom Index looks to be a greaet tool for seeing where your state could use some improvement… or for those gun owners in Kansas and New Hampshire, learning that you get bragging rights over the rest of us.
Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact Canadian-style gun control and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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