Earlier this week, the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis and released 39 pages of recommendations on efforts to prevent gun deaths, which state that gun death rates “reached their highest rate in nearly three decades in 2021.”
According to data from the Pew Research Center, about one-third of Americans say they personally own a gun, a statistic that reflects the deep-rooted culture of gun ownership in the U.S. Another report found that about 5.5 million guns were purchased in the U.S. in the first four months of 2024.
It may not be surprising that Texas, the second most populous state in the nation, accounts for the largest number of firearm purchases by any state, accounting for nearly 500,000, or 9%, of all firearms sold through April 2024.
Safety product review site SafeHomes.org analyzed data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to determine which states have the highest rates of recently purchased firearms.
Legal gun sales nationwide fell slightly last year.
Safe Homes editor-in-chief Rob Gabriel said nationwide firearm sales were down in 2023. About 16.7 million firearms were sold in the U.S. last year, down 4% from 2022, according to the report.
Florida, which passed a permit-free concealed carry law in March 2023, saw a 1% increase in gun sales last year. Florida is one of just four states expected to see an increase, with an estimated 1,316,471 sales in 2023, according to the report. But Gabriel said that doesn’t compare to North Carolina, where gun sales increased 112% after the Republican-led Legislature overrode the Democratic governor’s veto to repeal the concealed carry law in March 2023.
Other states that saw increases in gun ownership included Illinois (5%), despite new bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and New Hampshire (3%), which saw no new changes to gun control laws, according to the Safe Home report.
Meanwhile, the District of Columbia saw a 32% drop in firearms sales in 2023, Gabriel said. That same year, the state tightened its firearm background check and registration laws. Other states that have recently enacted gun control measures also saw declines, including Delaware (18%) and New York (15%). But even Louisiana, which did not enact any significant gun control measures in 2023, saw a 15% drop in firearms sales last year.
Starting July 4, 2024, it will be legal for non-felons to carry concealed guns in Louisiana without a permit.
What states had the most gun sales in 2023?
The states that sold the most guns last year are largely reflective of their population size: the top three states selling the most guns in 2023 are also the most populous.
According to an analysis of NICS data by SafeHomes, the states with the highest firearm sales in 2023 were:
- Texas: 1,347,589
- Florida: 1,316,471
- California: 1,043,421
- Pennsylvania: 841,523
- Tennessee: 633,015
- Ohio: 583,314
- Virginia: 581,698
- Michigan: 555,650
- Missouri: 520,488
- Illinois: 504,452
Which states had the most gun sales, adjusted for population?
Taking into account population, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska have the highest rates of gun sales, according to the Safe Homes report.
“These states have strong hunting traditions fostered by rural living and less strict gun laws,” Gabriel said. “Pro-gun culture and the need for self-protection in remote areas with many predators that could harm livestock may also be contributing to increased gun ownership and sales.”
The states with the highest population-adjusted gun sales rates were:
- Montana: 1,586 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- Wyoming: 1,523 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- Alaska: 1,514 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- Oregon: 1,372 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- Alabama: 1,302 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- New Hampshire: 1,252 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- Tennessee: 1,207 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- West Virginia: 1,205 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- North Dakota: 1,194 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
- Idaho: 1,149 vehicles sold per 10,000 residents aged 21 and over
Let’s look at the statistics:Gun violence is a public health crisis, says Surgeon General
Gun violence at an all-time high
According to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, more than 48,000 people will die from gun violence in 2022, an increase of 16,000 since 2010. At the same time, firearm-related suicides have increased by 20 percent and there has been an “alarming increase” in firearm-related deaths among young people, the advisory noted.
Mursi said gun violence needed a public health approach, not a divisive political response.
According to Reuters, gun violence has become the number one cause of death among children, and American adults worry that they or their family members will become victims. According to a 2023 KFF report, more than half of American adults say they or a family member have experienced a firearm-related incident.
Contributors: Eduardo Cuevas and Janine Santucci
