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Which states require a waiting period before gun purchases?

11 states have adopted this policy

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Waiting Periods

Alabama has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Alaska has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Arizona has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Arkansas has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

California has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Colorado has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Connecticut has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Delaware has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Florida has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Georgia has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Hawaii has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Idaho has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Illinois has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Indiana has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Iowa has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Kansas has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Kentucky has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Louisiana has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Maine has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Maryland has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Massachusetts has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Michigan has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Minnesota has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Mississippi has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Missouri has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Montana has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Nebraska has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Nevada has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

New Jersey has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

New Mexico has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

New York has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

North Carolina has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

North Dakota has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Ohio has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Oregon has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Rhode Island has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

South Carolina has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

South Dakota has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Tennessee has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Texas has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Utah has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Vermont has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Virginia has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Washington has adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

West Virginia has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Wyoming has not adopted this policy

What It Does

Waiting period laws require gun buyers to wait a specified period—between three and 14 days, depending on the state—before completing a purchase. These policies create a buffer of time for a person in suicidal crisis, a cooling-off period that can be the difference between life and death. A full discussion on Waiting Periods is here. 

The Impact

Means matter, and reducing gun access prevents suicide: While 90% of firearm suicide attempts end in death, only 4% of all other attempts end in death. Research suggests that reducing suicide attempts by gun can result in a 20% to 38% overall decline in suicide.

Waiting Periods

Policy adopted?
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Show Citations and Footnotes 
Source: Cal. Penal Code § 26815; C.R.S. § 18-12-115; Fla. Stat. § 790.0655; Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-2; 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. § 5/24-3; Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety Law §§ 5-123(a), 5-124(a); Minn. Stat. § 624.7132; N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:58-2; 11 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 11-47-35(a)(1), 11-47-35.2(a); 13 VSA § 4019a; Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.092(2).

90%/4%: Everytown analysis of Andrew Conner, Deborah Azrael, and Matthew Miller, “Suicide Case-Fatality Rates in the United States, 2007 to 2014: A Nationwide Population-Based Study,” Annals of Internal Medicine 171, no. 12 (2019): 885–95, https://doi.org/10.7326/M19-1324.

20-38%: Kim Soffen, "To Reduce Suicides, Look At Guns," Washington Post, July 13, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/wonkblog/suicide-rates/.

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