Permitless carry recognized (2018 AG opinion / 2013 statute). No AWB, no mag limit, strong preemption. Stand-your-ground (2021). Suppressors legal. No waiting period or red-flag law.

Medical cannabis only (since 2016). Recreational legalization (Issue 4) failed in 2022. No decriminalization; possession remains criminal. No psychedelic reform. Limited harm reduction. Drug courts available.

State minimum wage $11.00/hr. MIT living wage for 1 adult: $14.18/hr. Ratio 0.78 — minimum-wage workers earn 78% of what's needed to live there alone.

Moderate tax burden but bottom-quartile NAEP scores, low life expectancy, weak infrastructure. Per-pupil spending below median yet outcomes still poor — limited efficiency. USNews ranked 44th.

IJ grades AR D on forfeiture (low burden, profit incentive). No qualified immunity reform. No statewide no-knock restrictions. No mandatory body cams. No comprehensive digital privacy law. Cooperates broadly with ICE. Whistleblower protections narrow.

Excuse required for absentee voting. Early voting 15 days. No same-day or automatic registration. Strict photo ID law. Multiple polling closures in rural and Black-majority counties. Felons must complete sentence and pay all fines before restoration. Republican-controlled redistricting with high partisan bias. Act 728 (2021) and recent restrictions on ballot drop-off.

Has NOT adopted Medicaid expansion in standard form (modified private-option). Total abortion ban with narrow exceptions. Trans youth medical care ban (blocked by court but state appealing). Among worst maternal mortality (highest in nation for Black women). Severe rural hospital closures.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide body camera mandate. Officer disciplinary records exempt from FOIA. Decertification exists with limited transparency. No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. Local prosecution. No statewide chokehold ban. Per-capita killings well above median.

Total abortion ban with no rape/incest exception. Covenant marriage statute. Gender-affirming care ban for minors (currently enjoined but on books). Anti-drag laws. Broad RFRA. No statewide LGBTQ+ protections. SAFE Act criminalizing trans care. Bible literacy authorized. Strong Christian-nationalist legislative trend with state-funded religious chaplains in schools.

Right-to-work state. No paid family leave. No paid sick leave law. Federal OSHA only. Prevailing wage repealed. Weak wage theft enforcement. Fatal occupational injury rate well above national median. No heat-illness, domestic worker, or scheduling protections.