Assault-style weapons, also known as modern sporting rifles, are civilian versions of firearms used by militaries around the world — including the AK-47, AR-15, and the M4 carbine. Unlike their military spec counterparts, civilian assault-style weapons are not fully automatic — but, because they are designed for combat scenarios, they are among the most divisive elements of the ongoing gun control debate in the United States.

24/7 Wall St. Key Points:

• Civilian ownership of assault-style weapons has been legal at the federal level for over two decades. 
• These firearms remain controversial, however, and several states have passed laws that effectively ban assault weapons.
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According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 63% of American adults favor a ban on assault-style weapons. In recent years, however, assault-style weapons have gained wider acceptance with the general public. Between 2017 and 2021, the share of non-gun owners who favor an assault weapons ban fell from 77% to 74%. Over the same period, the share of gun owners who favor such a ban declined even more, falling from 48% to 37%.

While attempts to ban assault-style weapons have failed in recent years, there is historical precedent for such a regulatory shift. In 1994, the federal government passed a law that effectively banned the manufacture or sale of assault-style weapons for civilian use. This ban, however, was allowed to expire in 2004 — and in the years since, assault-style weapons have been used in many of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. These include the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, the 2016 massacre in a night club in Orlando, Florida, and the 2012 school shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. (Here is a look at the states where gun crime is surging.)

In the absence of legislative action at the federal level, many states have passed their own laws to regulate, and effectively ban certain assault-style weapons.

Using data from the gun control advocacy group Giffords Law Center, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states that have banned assault-style weapons. Washington, D.C. is included in our analysis. Specifics on what types of firearms are banned and how these bans are implemented vary among the 11 states on this list. Gun laws noted are current as of December 2024. They are not exhaustive, however, and are only broad guidelines. Supplemental data on firearm fatality rates are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In most of the country, civilian ownership of assault-style weapons is legal and largely unregulated. These states on this list are exceptions. Many of these states have had standing assault weapons bans for years, or even decades. On in others, these bans have been implemented very recently. Perhaps not surprisingly, the states that have standing assault weapon bans also have some of the strictest overall gun regulations in the country.

The Giffords Law Center assigns each state a letter grade rating the strength of their gun control laws. Grades range from “A,” for the states with the strongest laws, to “F,” for the states with the weakest. All but three of the 13 states with a letter grade of “A-” or “A” rank on this list. (Here is a look at every state’s gun law grade in 2025.)

These are the states that ban assault-style weapons.

Why It Matters

In the wake of several mass shootings in recent years, regulation of assault-style weapons has become a focal point of the gun control debate in the United States. While survey data suggests that most American adults favor a national assault-weapon ban, the federal government has done little to regulate these weapons in recent decades. Still, nearly a dozen states have passed laws that effectively ban certain assault-style weapons.

California

• Year ban first went into effect: 1989
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, manufacture, sale, gifting, transport, import
• Exceptions to ban: Lawful ownership of weapon prior to ban and subsequent registration
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with one or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 8.6 per 100,000 people — 7th lowest of 50 states (3,484 total deaths)

Connecticut

• Year ban first went into effect: 1993, expanded in 2013
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, sale, gifting, transport, import
• Exceptions to ban: Lawful ownership of weapon prior to bans with certification
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with one or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 6.9 per 100,000 people — 6th lowest of 50 states (252 total deaths)

Delaware

• Year ban first went into effect: 2022
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, manufacture, sale, transfer, receipt
• Exceptions to ban: Lawful ownership prior to June 20, 2022, transfer to family member
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with one or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A-
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 11.9 per 100,000 people — 12th lowest of 50 states (124 total deaths)

District of Columbia

• Year ban first went into effect: Assault weapons have always been effectively banned
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, manufacture, sale, import
• Exceptions to ban: None
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with one or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: N/A
• Annual firearm fatality rate: N/A

Hawaii

• Year ban first went into effect: 1992
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, manufacture, sale or other transfer, barter, trade, gift or acquisition
• Exceptions to ban: Lawful ownership prior to July 1, 1992 and subsequent registration
• Assault weapon definitions: Firearms with two or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Pistols only
• Overall gun law strength grade: A-
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 4.5 per 100,000 people — 3rd lowest of 50 states (66 total deaths)

Illinois

• Year ban goes into effect: 2023
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, manufacture, sale, purchase
• Exceptions to ban: Lawful ownership prior to ban and registration before Jan. 1, 2024
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with some specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A-
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 14.4 per 100,000 people — 21st lowest of 50 states (1,798 total deaths)

Maryland

• Year ban first went into effect: 1994, expanded in 2013
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, sale, transfer, purchase, receipt, transport
• Exceptions to ban: Lawful ownership and registration of assault pistol prior to Aug. 1, 1994 and lawful ownership of assault long gun before Oct. 1, 2013
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with two or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A-
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 13.6 per 100,000 people — 16th lowest of 50 states (813 total deaths)

Massachusetts

• Year ban first went into effect: 1998
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, sale, transfer
• Exceptions to ban: License and lawful ownership prior to ban
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with two or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 3.7 per 100,000 people — 2nd lowest of 50 states (263 total deaths)

New Jersey

• Year ban first went into effect: 1990
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, manufacture, transport, shipping, selling, disposal of
• Exceptions to ban: Officially licensed owners, lawful ownership prior to May 1, 1990 with subsequent registration
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with some specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 5.0 per 100,000 people — 4th lowest of 50 states (468 total deaths)

New York

• Year ban first went into effect: 2013
• Assault weapon restrictions: Possession, manufacture, transport, disposal of
• Exceptions to ban: Lawful ownership prior to Jan. 15, 2013, registered before Jan. 15, 2014
• Assault weapon definitions: Firearms with one or more specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 5.3 per 100,000 people — 5th lowest of 50 states (1,044 total deaths)

Washington

• Year ban first went into effect: 2023
• Assault weapon restrictions: Sale, manufacture, import, distribution
• Exceptions to ban: Possession is lawful under certain circumstances
• Assault weapon definitions: Specific models and firearms with some specific features
• Types of banned assault weapons: Rifles, shotguns, and pistols
• Overall gun law strength grade: A-
• Annual firearm fatality rate: 12.4 per 100,000 people — 15th lowest of 50 states (1,022 total deaths)

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