Alaska has some of the weakest gun laws in the country and the sixth highest gun death rate, which can only be reversed by enacting the gun safety policies proven to save lives.
Alaska enacted a dangerous “stand your ground” law in 2014, removing the duty to retreat from a violent altercation in most public spaces. In 2022, Alaska had the seventh highest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 171 people die from gun violence in the state. That means someone dies from gun violence every 51 hours. Seventy-two percent of these deaths are gun suicides, and 22% of them are gun homicides.
What Alaska Does Well
- Mental health record reporting
What Alaska Is Missing
- Universal background checks
- Gun owner licensing
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Most domestic violence gun laws
- Assault weapon restrictions
- Large capacity magazine ban
- Waiting periods
- Concealed carry permit
- Open carry regulations
- Child access prevention laws
SPOTLIGHT
GUN LAW SCORECARD
The data is clear: States with stronger gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
Read MoreEXPLORE ALASKA’S GUN LAWS
WHO CAN HAVE A GUN
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
GUNS IN PUBLIC
HARDWARE & AMMUNITION
OTHER LAWS & POLICIES
SUPPORT GUN SAFETY
We’re in this together. To build a safer America—one where children and parents in every neighborhood can learn, play, work, and worship without fear of gun violence—we need you standing beside us in this fight.
