Fourteen states allow people to carry a permitted concealed handgun in all or virtually all of their state. This last year legislatures in both Oklahoma and South Dakota passed Constitutional Carry bills only to have the legislation killed by the Republican governors. But Oklahoma Gov.-elect Kevin Stitt and South Dakota Gov.-elect Kristi Noem both supported Constitutional Carry during their campaigns this year.…
On Friday, North Dakota’s Republican Governor Doug Burgum signed legislation making their state the 14th that allows carrying without a concealed handgun permit. The bill had passed the legislature with overwhelming majorities (34 to 13 in the state Senate and 83 to 9 in the state House). North Dakota thus joined New Hampshire in passing Constitutional Carry this year, though it seems unlikely that any more states will pass these laws during the current sessions.…
After New Hampshire enacted Constitutional Carry, similar bills are still under consideration and a chance in Alabama, Indiana, North Dakota, and South Carolina. The bill is still under consideration in South Dakota, but the governor in South Dakota has already indicated that he will veto the bill. As of right now, there is still a chance for 16 to 17 states having Constitutional Carry by the end of the year.…
With Missouri, West Virginia, and Idaho enacting Constitutional Carry laws last year, twelve states allow people to carry without a permit in all or virtually all their states. This includes Montana that allows people to carry without a permit in about 99.4% of the state. And 2017 is shaping up as a banner year for passing more of these laws. …
While adopting Constitutional Carry in Idaho means that training is no longer mandated by state law, the Idaho Statesman has some interviews that show that even people who are carrying without a permit still feel the need to get training. However, the benefit of not having the formal regulations on training means that the cost of training has probably gone down, and it can be done when it is most convenient. …
After a 24-6 veto override vote in the state Senate and a 112-41 vote in the state House, Missouri joins Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Montana (99.4% of state), Mississippi, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Yet, because of Federal regulations, Constitutional carry is more limited than most people think.
Bloomberg’s gun control groups unsuccessfully made a full court press on this issue to try flipping the votes of a couple vulnerable members of the state Senate, spending large amounts of money on advertising and polling.…
We have recently noted that with new laws being passed in West Virginia and Idaho it is possible to carry concealed handguns in 10 states without a permit (in addition, in Montana you can do that outside of city limits). But Federal law clearly hasn’t caught up with the Constitutional Carry movement. …
On Thursday March 24, 2016, Idaho Governor Butch Otter signed Constitutional Carry into law in Idaho. Idaho had previously only required a permit within city limits, and this bill eliminates that requirement. The bill had been passed by veto proof margins in both the state House (54-15) and Senate (27-8). There are now 10 states that don’t require a permit to carry anywhere in their states and Montana, which has the old Idaho regulation requiring permits within city limits. …
On Saturday, West Virginia’s state Senate overrode the Governor Tomblin by a 23 to 11 vote. On Friday, the state House overrode it by 66-34. 18 to 21 year olds will still need a permit, but those over 21 will be able to carry without one. West Virginia is now added to states that adopted this last year ) Kansas, Mississippi, Maine) and Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Wyoming, and Vermont. …
CPRC has shown the huge increase in the number of concealed handgun permits in the US, rising from 4.6 million in 2007 to 12.8 million earlier this year. One question though is whether people with permits already own guns or whether this represents a change in the number of people with guns. …
