The Gun Rights Index is a numerical index compiled by Free Existence that claims to measure the legality of gun ownership and use around the world. Created in 2008, the index assesses the legality of purchase and possession of pistol

Pistol

When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...

s, rifle

Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...

s, shotgun

Shotgun

A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...

s, fully automatic weapons

Automatic firearm

An automatic firearm is a firearm that loads another round mechanically after the first round has been fired.The term can be used to refer to semi-automatic firearms, which fire one shot per single pull of the trigger , or fully automatic firearms, which will continue to load and fire ammunition...

, and suppressor

Suppressor

A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....

s, the legality of accessible home storage of at least one firearm for self-defense, and the legality of open and concealed carry

Concealed carry

Concealed carry, or CCW , refers to the practice of carrying a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in proximity.-In Canada:...

 of firearms of 235 nations and semi-autonomous regions. As it is the first attempt to quantify worldwide gun laws of its kind, there is presently some reliance on anecdotal evidence and news reports in lieu of direct legal analysis due to lack of access to primary sources (i.e., the actual written laws of some nations).

In 2009, Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

 was tied with Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

 as the most lax with regard to purchase, possession, and open carry of firearms, both scoring 9.0 out of 10 possible points.

As of the 2011 index, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 had risen to the top of the index with 9.3 out of 10 possible points as a result of the Arizona Firearm Freedoms Act

Montana Firearms Freedom Act

The Montana Firearms Freedom Act is an attempt to limit federal jurisdiction over firearms in the state of Montana.-Provisions:The law declares that firearms manufactured in the state of Montana after October 1, 2009, and which remain in the state, are exempt from United States federal firearms...

 being signed into law. However, the authors of the index caution that Arizona's law is presently in conflict with federal law pending the outcome of the Montana Shooting Sports Association v. Holder case.

On the national level, Yemen (which again in 2011 scored 9.0) had the most liberal firearm laws, with the United States and East Timor tied for second place with scores of 8.0. In contrast, the most restrictive gun laws could be found in Libya

Libya

Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

, Palau

Palau

Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...

, the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

, and Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, all of which scored 0.0 out of 10 in the index due to their outright bans on private firearm ownership.