November 19, 2021 | Criminal Defense

The Dayton criminal defense attorneys at Suhre & Associates put together a list of the best states for responsible gun owners. Good defense attorneys spend a great deal of time studying firearm laws and self defense rules. 

Likewise, law abiding gun owners worry a lot about the political and regulatory environment where they live. After all, self-defense issues and Second Amendment rights are often hotly debated by politicians, courts, and news organizations.

Of course, these rankings are subjective. If someone values one particular law more than another, their list could look slightly different. Likewise, there is a small cluster of extremely gun-friendly states, all of which could arguably make the top three. Sadly, Ohio doesn’t make our list!

Criteria to Consider When Ranking States

When deciding how to rank the best states for responsible gun owners, we needed to build a list of criteria important to law abiding citizens. While some people focus much more heavily on waiting periods and magazine restrictions, criminal defense lawyers tend to place more emphasis on self defense and concealed carrying rules. 

Our lawyers concealed: 

  • Concealed / Constitutional Carry
  • Waiting periods
  • Restrictions on type of guns and magazines
  • Stand Your Ground
  • Castle Doctrine

It is crucial that Ohio gun owners fully understand the laws that apply to them. Failing to follow gun laws can result in serious felony charges and have the potential for prison time. 

In particular, anyone in Dayton who owns or carries a firearm must understand the law of self defense. There is a word used by courts to describe an unlawful use of lethal force: homicide. 

If you have questions or find yourself accused of a firearm related crime, invoke your right to remain silent and contact a criminal defense lawyer right away for help. 

Here are our top states for gun owners: 

#1 Arizona

A lot of people consider Arizona to be the best state for responsible gun owners. The culture and laws in Arizona are exceptionally gun-friendly. Some of the reasons Arizona ranks so high include the lack of magazine restrictions and waiting periods for purchasing a handgun. More importantly, they have favorable carrying and self-defense laws.

In Arizona, if you are over 21 years of age and can lawfully possess a handgun, you are allowed to carry concealed without a permit. This is known as “constitutional carry.”

Additionally, Arizona has favorable self-defense laws compared to other states. For instance, Arizona has the Castle Doctrine in place. The Castle Doctrine allows someone to defend themselves without a duty to retreat if they are inside their own home. Of course, other lethal force rules still apply even if you are in your home. 

Arizona law is also considered to have some form of Stand Your Ground protections. Stand Your Ground extends Castle Doctrine outside the home.Supposef you are lawfully entitled to be in a particular place and have a reasonable belief that you are facing an immediate threat of deadly force. In that case, there is no duty to retreat before using deadly force.

#2 Wyoming

Similar to Arizona, Wyoming recently passed Constitutional Carry! This means anyone 21 or older can carry a concealed handgun if they are lawfully allowed to own a handgun. The recent trend towards Constitutional Carry is sweeping red states by storm, with more and more state legislatures considering the practice.

Wyoming also has friendly self-defense laws. These include Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground for law-abiding gun owners who follow the other rules for using lethal force. 

#3 Alaska

Alaska was in consideration for the top spot, but those long winters cost it a couple of points. Alaska rounds out the top three with permittles, Constitutional Carry of a concealed handgun for lawful gun owners 21+.

Alaska has no handgun magazine capacity limits and no waiting period to purchase a handgun. The state also has Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground protections if other use-of-force rules are followed. 

Always Know and Follow State Use of Force Rules

The best states for responsible gun owners all have favorable rules in place for law-abiding residents. However, at the end of the day it is the responsibility of the individual to know and follow the local laws, particularly on use of lethal force and self defense. This blog provided a very basic overview. Make sure you take a deeper dive and enroll in training to fully understand the laws of your state.

To learn more, call our Dayton criminal defense law firm at (937) 531-0435 or visit our contact us page to send us an email.