Alaska has weak gun laws that help feed the illegal gun market and allow the sale of guns without background checks. In the 2009 state scorecards released for all 50 states by the Brady Campaign, Alaska tied for second to last place in America – earning just two points out of a total of 100.
According to government figures, Alaska also has the country's highest percentage of crime guns recovered that were originally purchased within the state. The Brady Campaign relates this “homegrown” gun violence not just to geography, but also because of the lack of gun laws in the state and nationally.