Handguns are different in that they can be easily concealed on a person compared to larger weapons, such as shotguns and semi-automatic rifles. So if you want to know which states require Background Checks for concealed carry permits, our article breaks it down by state.
Let’s go over the two kinds of background checks to own a handgun, followed by the 21 states that require one to purchase a firearm.
Two Different Modes of When Background Checks are Performed
There are only two main methods utilized for background checks in states requiring them for concealed carry permits:
- Point of Sale: This means the background check is conducted at the time and place where the retail transaction is confirmed.
- Permit To Purchase: Requires the buyer to already be a licensed gun owner and have undergone a full background check conducted by law enforcement.
Background Checks By State
Only 21 states require a background check for concealed carry permits for handguns. Here’s a little bit on each of them.
California
Type: Point of Sale
California easily has the toughest gun regulations in the United States. They were the first to mandate consumer safety standards regarding firearms purchases. It is also the only state that forces newer handgun variants to have microstamping technology to trace gun-related crimes back to the offender.
Colorado
Type: Point of Sale
After the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado’s Gun Laws have evolved in a stricter direction. A lot of this progression has been due to requiring background checks for all gun sales.
Connecticut
Type: Permit to Purchase & Point of Sale
Connecticut has the fifth strongest gun laws in the country. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 prompted the state to take action by requiring background checks and instituting assault weapons and high-capacity magazine bans.
Delaware
Type: Point of Sale
Ranking 13th in the USA for strong gun laws, Delaware requires background checks for all gun sales as well as an intricate process for Extreme Risk orders.
Hawaii
Type: Permit to Purchase
Hawaii is the second-strictest state in the USA for gun laws, right behind California. They have the lowest death-by-gun rate in the country. They also have a 21-year-old age minimum for all firearm purchases.
Illinois
Type: Permit to Purchase & Point of Sale
Illinois, while having the sixth strongest gun laws in the country, is surrounded by states with fairly lax gun laws. This makes them a special case, as a considerable amount of guns are most likely trafficked into the state via out-of-state purchases.
Maryland
Type: Permit to Purchase (Handguns) & Point of Sale (All Guns)
Nearly 65% of the guns claimed by law enforcement in Maryland are from across state lines, despite the state having the seventh-strongest gun laws in the country.
Massachusetts
Type: Permit to Purchase
One of the leaders in the country for gun safety, Massachusetts has the fourth-strongest gun laws nationwide and second-lowest gun-related deaths. They also have the second-lowest degree of gun ownership in the country. Only 9% of the state population owns a firearm.
Michigan
Type: Permit to Purchase
Michigan lags behind the rest of the country and does not allow individual municipalities like Detroit to pass their own gun safety laws. As a result, they rank 24th in gun safety nationwide.
Nebraska
Type: Permit to Purchase
Nebraska is 20th in the country for strong gun laws. Their state is known for being slow to change with the times when it comes to gun safety laws.
Nevada
Type: Point of Sale
Nevada is 18th in the country for strong gun safety laws despite Stand Your Ground and open carry laws still in place.
New Jersey
Type: Permit to Purchase & Point of Sale
New Jersey has the third lowest rate of firearms-related deaths and some of the lowest levels of household gun ownership at 9%. They have been a forward-thinking state when it comes to gun violence prevention for quite a while now.
New Mexico
Type: Point of Sale
New Mexico has one of the fastest improvements in its gun law safety score, raising it over 40% in just three years despite its high gun violence rates. This is due to recent legislation, such as background checks for all guns and an Extreme Risk law.
New York
Type: Permit to Purchase (Handguns & Semi-Automatic Rifles) & Point of Sale (All Guns)
Despite the high level of violence from New York City’s past, the state of New York currently has the third strongest gun laws in the USA. Now, they have the fifth-lowest gun violence numbers as well as the fifth-lowest numbers of household gun ownership in America.
North Carolina
Type: Permit to Purchase
Despite strong domestic violence laws, the state of North Carolina lags hard when it comes to gun laws. They require a permit for handgun purchases, but that’s currently it.
Oregon
Type: Point of Sale
Oregon has the 11th strongest gun laws in America and requires owners to always keep guns stored when not in use. Despite this, they still allow the sale of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
Pennsylvania
Type: Point of Sale
Despite being 15th for strong gun laws in the USA, Pennsylvania keeps towns and cities from enacting their own regulations on gun violence. They have also recently repealed the need for a permit to conceal carry.
Rhode Island
Type: Point of Sale
Rhode Island ranks 12th in the country for strong gun laws but still has no proper regulations on assault rifles. Despite all this, they have a low rate of gun violence due to having the fourth-lowest household gun ownership levels in the country.
Vermont
Type: Point of Sale
Vermont is #22 in the nation for strong gun laws. Despite raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 and requiring background checks for all guns, 87% of all gun deaths in the state are suicide-related.
Virginia
Type: Point of Sale
Virginia has the 14th strongest gun laws in the country currently. This is due to a wide-ranging number of gun safety laws enacted in 2020, including requiring background checks and allowing local areas to pass their own regulation on guns.
Washington
Type: Point of Sale
Washington has passed many new gun safety laws in the past ten years, making it the ninth strongest state in the USA when it comes to firearms. They have low rates of gun violence, background checks on all firearms sales, and an Extreme Risk law in place.
Final Thoughts
Knowing the laws on background checks for concealed carry permits by individual state can be tricky, so if you happen to live in any of the states listed above, then a quick criminal records check can help determine if someone with a firearm in your area can legally carry one. Protect yourself and your loved ones by being proactive when it comes to suspicious people in your neighborhood.
Which States Require Background Checks For Concealed Carry Permits?
Handguns are different in that they can be easily concealed on a person compared to larger weapons, such as shotguns and semi-automatic rifles. So if you want to know which states require background checks for concealed carry permits, our article breaks it down by state.
Let’s go over the two kinds of background checks to own a handgun, followed by the 21 states that require one to purchase a firearm.
Two Different Modes of When Background Checks are Performed
There are only two main methods utilized for background checks in states requiring them for concealed carry permits:
- Point of Sale: This means the background check is conducted at the time and place where the retail transaction is confirmed.
- Permit To Purchase: Requires the buyer to already be a licensed gun owner and have undergone a full background check conducted by law enforcement.
Background Checks By State
Only 21 states require a background check for concealed carry permits for handguns. Here’s a little bit on each of them.
California
Type: Point of Sale
California easily has the toughest gun regulations in the United States. They were the first to mandate consumer safety standards regarding firearms purchases. It is also the only state that forces newer handgun variants to have microstamping technology to trace gun-related crimes back to the offender.
Colorado
Type: Point of Sale
After the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado’s gun laws have evolved in a stricter direction. A lot of this progression has been due to requiring background checks for all gun sales.
Connecticut
Type: Permit to Purchase & Point of Sale
Connecticut has the fifth strongest gun laws in the country. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 prompted the state to take action by requiring background checks and instituting assault weapons and high-capacity magazine bans.
Delaware
Type: Point of Sale
Ranking 13th in the USA for strong gun laws, Delaware requires background checks for all gun sales as well as an intricate process for Extreme Risk orders.
Hawaii
Type: Permit to Purchase
Hawaii is the second-strictest state in the USA for gun laws, right behind California. They have the lowest death-by-gun rate in the country. They also have a 21-year-old age minimum for all firearm purchases.
Illinois
Type: Permit to Purchase & Point of Sale
Illinois, while having the sixth strongest gun laws in the country, is surrounded by states with fairly lax gun laws. This makes them a special case, as a considerable amount of guns are most likely trafficked into the state via out-of-state purchases.
Maryland
Type: Permit to Purchase (Handguns) & Point of Sale (All Guns)
Nearly 65% of the guns claimed by law enforcement in Maryland are from across state lines, despite the state having the seventh-strongest gun laws in the country.
Massachusetts
Type: Permit to Purchase
One of the leaders in the country for gun safety, Massachusetts has the fourth-strongest gun laws nationwide and second-lowest gun-related deaths. They also have the second-lowest degree of gun ownership in the country. Only 9% of the state population owns a firearm.
Michigan
Type: Permit to Purchase
Michigan lags behind the rest of the country and does not allow individual municipalities like Detroit to pass their own gun safety laws. As a result, they rank 24th in gun safety nationwide.
Nebraska
Type: Permit to Purchase
Nebraska is 20th in the country for strong gun laws. Their state is known for being slow to change with the times when it comes to gun safety laws.
Nevada
Type: Point of Sale
Nevada is 18th in the country for strong gun safety laws despite Stand Your Ground and open carry laws still in place.
New Jersey
Type: Permit to Purchase & Point of Sale
New Jersey has the third lowest rate of firearms-related deaths and some of the lowest levels of household gun ownership at 9%. They have been a forward-thinking state when it comes to gun violence prevention for quite a while now.
New Mexico
Type: Point of Sale
New Mexico has one of the fastest improvements in its gun law safety score, raising it over 40% in just three years despite its high gun violence rates. This is due to recent legislation, such as background checks for all guns and an Extreme Risk law.
New York
Type: Permit to Purchase (Handguns & Semi-Automatic Rifles) & Point of Sale (All Guns)
Despite the high level of violence from New York City’s past, the state of New York currently has the third strongest gun laws in the USA. Now, they have the fifth-lowest gun violence numbers as well as the fifth-lowest numbers of household gun ownership in America.
North Carolina
Type: Permit to Purchase
Despite strong domestic violence laws, the state of North Carolina lags hard when it comes to gun laws. They require a permit for handgun purchases, but that’s currently it.
Oregon
Type: Point of Sale
Oregon has the 11th strongest gun laws in America and requires owners to always keep guns stored when not in use. Despite this, they still allow the sale of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
Pennsylvania
Type: Point of Sale
Despite being 15th for strong gun laws in the USA, Pennsylvania keeps towns and cities from enacting their own regulations on gun violence. They have also recently repealed the need for a permit to conceal carry.
Rhode Island
Type: Point of Sale
Rhode Island ranks 12th in the country for strong gun laws but still has no proper regulations on assault rifles. Despite all this, they have a low rate of gun violence due to having the fourth-lowest household gun ownership levels in the country.
Vermont
Type: Point of Sale
Vermont is #22 in the nation for strong gun laws. Despite raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 and requiring background checks for all guns, 87% of all gun deaths in the state are suicide-related.
Virginia
Type: Point of Sale
Virginia has the 14th strongest gun laws in the country currently. This is due to a wide-ranging number of gun safety laws enacted in 2020, including requiring background checks and allowing local areas to pass their own regulation on guns.
Washington
Type: Point of Sale
Washington has passed many new gun safety laws in the past ten years, making it the ninth strongest state in the USA when it comes to firearms. They have low rates of gun violence, background checks on all firearms sales, and an Extreme Risk law in place.
Final Thoughts
Knowing the laws on background checks for concealed carry permits by individual state can be tricky, so if you happen to live in any of the states listed above, then a quick criminal records check can help determine if someone with a firearm in your area can legally carry one. Protect yourself and your loved ones by being proactive when it comes to suspicious people in your neighborhood.
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