Exploring Gun Ownership Across America: The Most Gun-Loving States

In a nation where firearm ownership is a deeply ingrained part of the culture, a new map sheds light on the most gun-loving states, showing intriguing patterns and regional differences. Given its cultural importance, and its enshrinement in the U.S. Constitution, the right to bear arms is a perennial hot-button issue for Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, "perhaps no topic divides voters more deeply than the role that firearms have in American life," and the matter gains particular importance during election cycles.

Drawing on data from Pew, Data Pandas compiled its ranking of states by the percentage of adult gun owners, seen here on a map created by Newsweek. Topping the list is Montana, with 66.3 percent of the adult population owning a firearm. The right to bear arms can be seen as a product of the region's strong hunting culture, with Montana ranking third on Stacker's list of states by the number of registered hunters per capita, which cites data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Both of the state’s senators, Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines, are gun owners and professed supporters of the Second Amendment. The state has some of the most lenient gun controls in the country, according to the Giffords Law Center, which listed Montana as the 45th state in terms of the strictness of its gun legislation. On the bottom of Giffords's list is Wyoming, which sits in a close second to Montana by gun ownership, with 66.2 percent of adults self-reporting as gun owners.

These states' rankings are in keeping with the wider prevalence of gun ownership across the Midwest and Western regions. Sharing the title for the lowest rates of gun ownership are New Jersey and Massachusetts, with only 14.7 percent of their adult populations owning guns. The two states also have some of the strictest gun laws in the country, highlighting a strong reverse correlation between regulation and ownership of firearms in the U.S.

According to Everytown Research & Policy, Massachusetts has a "gun law strength" rating of 81 out of 100. The gun safety research institute hailed the Bay State as "a leader in gun safety," given it is one of only a handful of states to "bar gun purchases by people with outstanding warrants and to require secure storage for any firearm not in the owner's immediate control." New Jersey, meanwhile, has a score of 79 and boasts "one of the most comprehensive and recently strengthened concealed carry permitting systems, perhaps the boldest ghost gun prohibitions in the nation, and both a permit and background check required for all gun purchases."

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.