In Majority Of States, It's Faster To Obtain A Rifle Than To Register To Vote

In his analysis, Philip Bump of the Washington Post compared every state and the District of Columbia on how quickly a resident could secure a rifle and cast a ballot after registration. (Bump noted that policies for purchasing a handgun are different, but Padilla specifically mentioned rifles at the hearing. A rifle is a type of "long gun," which is a firearm with a longer barrel that is meant to be held with both hands.)

In 13 states, going through either process is equally fast: In Vermont, for instance, it’s possible to buy a rifle without a waiting period, and you can register to vote on Election Day itself. 

Three states — Illinois, Minnesota and Washington — make it faster to cast a ballot after registering than to secure a rifle. (There are some complications in some states, such as rules applying to certain types of rifles but not others, Bump noted.)

But the majority of states — 34 states plus D.C. — have a longer wait time to cast a ballot than to obtain a rifle, according to Bump’s analysis. .

According to Giffords, some states have waiting periods for firearms generally, including rifles. For instance, in Hawaii, the waiting period is 14 days, while in both California and D.C. it takes 10 days. In Florida, the law is three days or however long it takes to complete a background check, whichever is longer. Only two states have waiting periods specific to rifles — Minnesota at seven days and Washington state at 10 days. 

As for voting, registration is mandatory in every state except for North Dakota. However, the last day one can register before casting a ballot — in effect, the "waiting period" to vote — varies by state.

According to data compiled by the group Vote.org, some states like Alaska and Arkansas require registration 30 days prior to Election Day, while in other states like Colorado you can register on Election Day if you are going to vote in person.

The fastest voting procedures are in force in 17 states and D.C., where a resident can register and vote the same day, said Danielle Lang, co-director of voting rights and redistricting for the Campaign Legal Center. 

"So there is essentially a waiting period for voting in all other states," she said. "You have to plan to vote ahead of time and can’t do it on a whim the day of."

The bottom line, then, is that about two-thirds of states have a faster process for obtaining a gun than for being able to vote. That’s a "majority," as Padilla said.

Context for the comparison is needed