A new year means new guns laws. As 2024 state legislative sessions kick off, bills are being introduced, while laws are either taking effect or encountering challenges at both the state and federal level. Media reports are inundated with news about how these changes impact gun owners, making it challenging to sift through and locate the most important information. Each month, we’ll keep you informed so you stay up to date with the most important gun news.
April
Iowa Permits for Teachers
After amending a bill allowing Iowa teachers and other school staff the opportunity to carry concealed on school grounds, the Iowa House and Senate have passed the legislation on to the governor’s desk. Permits to carry in school and the professional training requirements will be handled by the Department of Safety.
Siouxland Proud, Iowa
Americans Prefer More Rounds
According to a report by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, approximately three out of every four detachable magazines sold in the last 30 years have been capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The report provides fresh insight into just how popular so-called large capacity magazines — typically defined by states that ban them as those capable of holding more than ten rounds — have become among American gun owners. It suggests they remain highly sought after despite the political controversy surrounding them.
West Virginia University Allows Carry on Campus
The West Virginia University Board of Governors unanimously approved carrying on campus, to go into effect on July 1. The Campus Self Defense Act sets the parameters for people with concealed handgun permits to carry on public college and university campuses and includes directives for weapons storage in dorms and other buildings, and exceptions where the schools may still prohibit weapons, such as at events at the football stadium and the Coliseum.
Dominion Post, West Virginia
Biden Administration Enforces Background Checks at Gun Shows
Thousands more firearms dealers across the United States will have to run background checks on buyers when selling at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores, according to a Biden administration rule that will soon go into effect. The rule specifies that anyone who sells firearms predominantly to earn a profit must be federally licensed and conduct background checks, regardless of whether they are selling on the internet, at a gun show or at a brick-and-mortar store.
Washington’s Magazine Ban Unconstitutional
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor ruled that Washington’s ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds violates both the Washington state and U.S. constitutions. He issued an immediate injunction to stop the state from enforcing the ban, which has been in place since 2022. Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed an emergency appeal to the state Supreme Court seeking to keep the law in effect during the appeals process, which was granted, keeping the ban in place for the time being.
OPB, Washington
California Sued by Non-Residents
The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a new federal lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D). The suit alleges that the state’s residency requirement for gun carry permit applicants, along with its refusal to recognize the validity of permits issued by other states, acts as an unconstitutional total ban on the right to bear arms for non-residents. Only a handful of other states currently refuse to recognize permits from other states, or issue permits to non-residents.
The Reload, California
March
Tracing Gun Crimes Without a Federal Gun Registry
The ATF is prohibited by federal law from creating a centralized database of registered gun owners. Steven Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Sunday that without a federal gun registry, the agency has to go through a “system of records” to trace crime guns.
Reducing New Mexico Gun Violence
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation intended to mitigate gun violence. Two of the bills that passed were a seven-day waiting period for firearm purchases and updating the ban on firearms near polling places.
Politico, New Mexico
Biden Stands Behind Gun Restrictions
Headed into a tough re-election bid, President Joe Biden signaled he would stay the course on his aggressive push for new gun restrictions during his State of the Union address. Biden indicated passing and signing a new ban on popular firearms such as the AR-15 and other so-called “assault weapons” was at the top of his priority list on that front.
Holding Gun Makers Liable for Shootings Rejected
A federal judge on Friday rejected a challenge to a Washington state law that cleared the way for lawsuits against the gun industry in certain cases. It requires the industry to exercise reasonable controls in making, selling and marketing weapons, including steps to keep guns from being sold to people known to be dangerous or to straw buyers. It allows the attorney general or private parties, such as the family members of shooting victims, to sue for violations or damages under the state’s Consumer Protection Act.
NBC, Washington
California Gun Sale Restriction Denied
U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes has ruled that California cannot limit how many firearms a lawful buyer can purchase in a month. Hayes found the one-gun-a-month restriction violated the Second Amendment.
The Reload, California
Magazine Ban Stands
Rhode Island’s ban on possessing ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds doesn’t violate the Second Amendment, a three-judge panel for the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. Upholding a lower court’s denial of a motion for a preliminary injunction against the magazine ban, the panel ruled “large-capacity magazines” are rarely used in self-defense and the ban imposes “no meaningful burden” on Rhode Islanders’ ability to defend themselves.
The Reload, Rhode Island
Utah Encourages Armed Teachers
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed a bill encouraging educators to carry a gun or keep one in their classroom. The legislation will fund annual training for teachers to learn how to defend classrooms against active threats. It builds upon a state law enacted last year that waived concealed carry permit fees for teachers.
The Guardian, Utah
Firearms and Bail
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that barring defendants out on bail from possessing firearms while they are awaiting trial was constitutional even after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that expanded gun rights. The panel rejected arguments by two defendants in California that the pretrial firearm restrictions violated their right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution’s 2nd Amendment.
Second Amendment Privacy Acts
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed Second Amendment Privacy Acts in their respective states. The laws bar the use of a firearm-retailer specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) for banks, credit card companies or financial service providers to track the lawful sale of firearms and ammunition.
Gun-Free Zones Remain
After signing several Second Amendment friendly bills, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed legislation that would have eliminated most so called “gun-free” zones. Schools and local governments will retain control over who can and can’t carry concealed weapons onto their premises.
WyoFile, Wyoming
Protecting the Rights of Law-Abiding Gun Owners
With the deadline for taking action on the legislation that the General Assembly sent him this month just two weeks away, Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday announced that he has vetoed an additional 30 bills that he said would “punish law-abiding gun owners and violate their constitutional rights.” He also signed 31 measures into law and offered amendments to six.
Cardinal News, Virginia
Gun Safety in Schools
House Bill 2882, a bi-partisan push to incorporate gun safety education into Tennessee schools, is now heading to the state senate. The bill aims to bring a gun safety course into the classroom, ensuring kids will know what to do if they ever come across a gun. Students would learn things like firearm storage, school safety, and how to avoid getting hurt if a student finds a weapon.
NBC, Tennessee
Supreme Court Hears Case on Bump Stocks
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Cargill v. Garland in late February. The case challenges the bump stock rule implemented by the Trump Administration, and defended by the Biden Administration, which effectively outlawed the possession of the devices. The justices spent most of their time trying to discern the meaning of the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA), which defined and heavily restricted the ownership of machine guns. Much of the argument centered on whether bump stocks allow a shooter to automatically fire their gun more than once with a single “function of the trigger,” as the NFA definition of machine gun requires.
Gun-Free Zones Expanded
Washington state lawmakers have passed legislation expanding the places where you’re not allowed to carry a firearm. If the bill is signed by the governor, guns will be banned at zoos, aquariums, libraries and transit facilities.
KIRO 7 News, Washington
Warning Shots as Self-Defense
Ohio resident Tyler Wilson was convicted of felonious assault after firing a round he claimed was intended to “scare” off a man pointing a gun at him. His attorney had abandoned a claim of self-defense, leading Wilson to appeal his conviction. Wilson’s appeal ultimately led to the Ohio Supreme Court, which was tasked with deciding whether someone is “entitled to a self-defense instruction for firing a warning shot at an armed aggressor, or must they [sic] shoot to injure or kill in order to receive the instruction at trial?” The Ohio Supreme Court determined, aside from the willful intent to use force, the only other intent required is to repel or escape force, not an intent to harm or kill another.
Bearing Arms, Ohio
February
DOJ Requests Supreme Court’s Influence
The Biden Administration filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to overturn a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in VanDerStok v. Garland. Doing so would rule the ATF has the authority to legally redefine what constitutes a firearm under federal law to include unfinished gun parts. The DOJ’s petition substantially increases the likelihood that the Supreme Court will agree to review the ATF’s attempt to ban so-called ghost guns.
Hawaii Rejects SCOTUS Ruling on Guns
Hawaii’s Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision that found charges leveled against Christopher Wilson for carrying a gun without a permit violated his rights. The court ruled the state’s constitution provides no gun-rights protections. “We read those words differently than the current United States Supreme Court. We hold that in Hawaiʻi there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public.”
Nebraska Weapons Ban Temporarily Stopped
Douglas County Judge LeAnne M. Srb partially granted an injunction requested from the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, temporarily halting enforcement of the weapons ban on city property. However, the judge did not support the organization’s request to halt the city’s ordinances to prohibit bump stocks and ghost guns.
WOWT, Nebraska
Supreme Court May Hear Case Against AR-15 Ban
Gun rights groups have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their challenge to Maryland’s ban on assault weapons like the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle before a federal appeals court can rule on the long-running case. The groups argue the unconstitutionality of semi-automatic rifle bans like Maryland’s is clear after the Supreme Court’s 2022 gun rights ruling.
Credit Card Companies Assist Red Flag Laws
Credit card networks Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are currently working to comply with a new California law requiring payment processors to implement a specialized Merchant Category Code (MCC) for transactions at gun and ammunition retailers. Lawmakers passed the requirement, which takes effect in May of 2025, with the hopes of prompting financial companies to track and ultimately flag “suspicious” purchases for law enforcement.
The Reload, California
Colorado Weapons Ban
Reps. Elisabeth Epps and Tim Hernández are the prime sponsors of House Bill 24-1292, an effort to ban the purchase and transfer of semi-automatic weapons in Colorado. Epps also sponsored a similar bill last year that died in committee. The bill includes a page and a half of specific examples of would-be-banned weapons.
Colorado Newsline, Colorado
Waiting Period Added to New Mexico Gun Purchases
The New Mexico Senate voted 23-18 to pass House Bill 129, which would require a gun seller to wait seven days after the purchase to deliver a gun to the buyer. Proponents point to mass shootings in the U.S. committed with guns bought a week earlier and say waiting periods have been shown to reduce gun homicides and suicides. The Senate-amended bill will have to be returned to the House before Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will sign it into law.
Source NM, New Mexico
Constitutional Carry in Louisiana
The Louisiana Senate approved a bill legalizing permitless concealed carry. The vote fell along party lines. The state Senate killed similar bills in each of the last two regular legislative sessions after the House voted overwhelmingly to approve such a measure. Governor Jeff Landry has vowed to sign the bill into law if it clears the legislature.
WWL, Louisiana
January
California Gun Control
Californians with a concealed carry permit can lawfully carry a gun in most areas of the state once again. A three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals removed a stay applied to a lower court ruling against California’s SB2, which created a near-total ban on gun carry in the state. The action reinstates the lower court ruling that found the law violated the Second Amendment rights of those with gun-carry permits
The Reload, California
U.S. Senators Regret Gun Control Votes
Days after meeting with heartbroken parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-Col.) joined three other red-state Democrats and 41 Republicans to successfully block a background check bill. A more sweeping proposal that would have banned many semi-automatic weapons failed that day by an even wider margin, with opposition from 16 members of the Democratic caucus. A ban on high-capacity magazines like the one used by the Sandy Hook shooter also fell short. Now, as mass shootings have become more frequent in the decade since Sandy Hook, four current senators and three former senators have taken the remarkable step of recanting some or all of their 2013 positions.
Michigan Increases Gun Restrictions Going into 2024
New laws will be taking effect in the first few months of 2024, including a set of laws that aim to increase gun safety in Michigan. There are four significant gun laws that will be implemented in 2024 that will require things like safe storage, universal background checks, creating Extreme Risk Protection Orders also called “red flag laws,” and a gun ban for those convicted of domestic violence.
CBS News, Michigan
Gun Buyback Violates New Mexico Laws
A private gun buyback event hosted by gun-control activist group New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence (NMPGV) may have violated New Mexico’s gun laws. The San Juan County sheriff’s department is launching an official investigation to determine if it was illegal under state law for the group to exchange gift cards for unwanted firearms without first conducting a background check.
The Reload, New Mexico
Honolulu Blocks Gun Sales
Hawaii Firearms Coalition, a local gun-rights group, claimed in a statement that Gun sales have been blocked for much of December in Hawaii’s largest city. The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) has advised gun purchase or carry permit applicants they won’t process them without a (currently unattainable) training certification. And it’s unclear when those permits might become available again.
The Reload, Hawaii
Ohio Sees Less Crime with Constitutional Carry
Six of Ohio’s eight largest cities saw less gun crime after the state’s constitutional carry law took effect, according to a study published by the Center for Justice Research. Researchers analyzed data spanning from June 2021 to June 2023 – a year before and a year after the law took effect – focusing on crimes involving firearms, verified gunshot-detection alerts and the number of officers struck by gunfire. The study showed significant decreases in the number of crimes involving firearms in Akron, Columbus and Toledo, and across all eight cities combined.
Supreme Court Could Hear Case on Federal Gun Ban for Marijuana Users
The legal question over the constitutionality of a federal gun ban for marijuana users is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices are expected to decide whether they will hear an appeal of a circuit court ruling that found the restriction violates the Second Amendment. Three relevant cases are under consideration in the nation’s highest court that could finally settle the issue.
Post Office Gun Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle determined that the blanket ban on firearms possession in post offices violated the Second Amendment rights of a former postal employee who was charged with illegally possessing a gun in a federal facility. She dismissed part of the man’s indictment after concluding that a total gun ban in post offices is “incongruent with the American tradition of firearms regulation.” “The Supreme Court has been clear: the government must point to historical principles that would permit it to prohibit firearms possession in post offices,” Judge Mizelle wrote.
Concealed Carry Ban During Emergencies Unconstitutional
In a 2-1 decision, a Third Circuit Court of Appeals panel blocked Pennsylvania from enforcing a trio of state statutes that together prohibit people between the ages of 18 and 20 from legally carrying firearms when a state of emergency is declared. The ruling adds to a growing body of federal court decisions casting doubt on age-based gun restrictions. Texas, Tennessee, and Minnesota have similarly ruled that adults under the age of 21 are protected by the Second Amendment.
The Reload, Pennsylvania
Permanent Injunction Stops Oregon Measure 114
A formal ruling by Harney County Circuit Court includes a permanent injunction today against Oregon gun control policy, Measure 114, to prevent it from taking effect. Oregon voters narrowly passed Measure 114 as a referendum in November 2022. The measure has 13 sections involving Oregon gun ownership, including requiring police permission to purchase a firearm and limiting magazines to 10 rounds.
KDRV, Oregon
Assault Weapons Ban
A federal appeals court has said it will hear a series of major challenges to gun control laws in March, including a case seeking to strike down Maryland’s ban on assault weapons in the wake of a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that broadly expanded gun rights.
Reuters, Maryland
New Mexico Gun Control Partially Blocked
A U.S. District Court judge is standing by her decision to block portions of a public health order from New Mexico’s governor that would suspend the right to carry firearms in many public parks in the Albuquerque area, with appeals pending before a higher court. The rest of the public health orders have remained intact, including directives for monthly inspections of firearm dealers statewide and reports on gunshot victims at New Mexico hospitals.
KRWG, New Mexico
Colorado ‘Ghost Gun’ Ban Challenged
A new Colorado law went into effect on New Year’s Day that makes it illegal for people in the state to put together an untraceable, so-called “ghost gun” using a kit or a 3-D printer. Within hours, two gun rights groups sued the state over the new policy. The National Association for Gun Rights and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners filed their suit in federal court, arguing the homemade gun ban doesn’t meet the new historical standard test laid out in the 2022 Bruen ruling.
CPR, Colorado
