2026 FPC STATE Freedom Index

Our Methodology

How we did it

Sadly, many grade the laws and policies of governments based on favoritism or political voodoo. We hate it. So we grade states against the Constitution and natural law instead—and we don’t grade on a curve. 

For our FPC Freedom Index, we did not give participation trophies for “good intentions” or “Red State” rhetoric. Instead, the methodology for the 2026 FPC Freedom Index is intentionally straightforward:

  • Guided by our Core Beliefs and Current Mission, we audited the laws of all 50 states (and Washington, D.C.) using 22 specific Yes/No criteria across four categories: Arms (what you can own), Acquisition (how you get it), Carry (where you can bear it), and Other (important questions that don’t cleanly fit into the other 3 categories).
  • Each question was weighted equally, and every positive (pro-freedom) response resulted in one (1) point being added to the state’s score.
  • The state’s total score was divided by the total possible score (22 points), and the resulting fraction was transposed into a percentage score.
  • A higher percentage represents greater respect for the right to keep and bear arms and more freedom, and a lower score represents greater disrespect and higher tyranny.

That’s it. No politics. No BS. Just the truth.

The Questions 

Here are the questions we used for the 2026 FPC Freedom Index:

ARMS

  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of common handguns (by, e.g., "rosters")?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of semi-automatic firearms (e.g., "Assault Weapons" bans)?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of a Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR) that is otherwise compliant with federal law (e.g., NFA registration)?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of a Short-Barreled Shotgun (SBS) that is otherwise compliant with federal law (e.g., NFA registration)?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of a Machine Gun (automatic firearm) that is otherwise compliant with federal law (e.g., NFA registration)?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of a firearm sound suppressor (“silencer”) that is otherwise compliant with federal law (e.g., NFA registration)?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of firearm magazines/ammunition feeding devices based on a capacity limit (e.g., limit of 10 rounds)?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the purchase, possession, or transfer of body armor?
  • Does the State prohibit or restrict the personal manufacture of firearms?

Carry

  • Does the State require a typical person to acquire a permit or license to carry a handgun in public (including in vehicles) for self-defense? (Respond "yes" if both permitless and permitted carry are available but a license allows for carry in more places.)
  • Does the State impose an age-based ban on the ability of 18-to-20 year-old adults to acquire a license or permit to carry handguns in public for self-defense?
  • Does the State impose a ban on carrying firearms on private property open to the public unless the property owner expressly allows it (the "vampire rule" or similar concept)?
  • Does the State impose a ban on carrying firearms at places of worship?
  • Does the State impose a ban on carrying firearms at outdoor public facilities and lands (e.g., parks, trails, campgrounds)?
  • Does the State impose a ban on carrying firearms on public transportation or at public transit facilities other than the secure area of airports (train, bus, light rail, multimodal, etc.)?
  • Does the State impose 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?

Acquisition

  • Does the State impose a requirement for a license or permit to purchase or possess firearms?
  • Does the State impose an age-based ban on the purchase of rifles, shotguns, or handguns (or their ammunition) by 18-to-20 year-old adults?
  • Does the State impose a “rationing” ban (e.g., “1-in-30”) that limits how many firearms a person can lawfully purchase in a given time period?
  • Does the State impose a “waiting period” or “cooling-off period” ban (e.g., "10-day wait") that prevents people from taking possession of a firearm for a specific period of time following the purchase of a firearm?

Other

  • Does the State require mandatory registration of firearms (i.e., it maintains a list of arms sold and possessed in the State as well as their owners/possessors)?
  • Does the State lack strong state preemption that prevents political subdivisions (like counties and cities) from enacting gun control laws more stringent than the State’s?

If your state isn’t at 100%, the work isn’t done—and we need your help to do it.

You can learn more about the methodology and send us a message about the project or scores here. If you think we got something wrong, reach out. And if you’re right, we’ll fix it—that’s our commitment. We want these results to be accurate and useful, so please let us know if they’re not. (Positive vibes are welcome, too.)

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