Concealed carry (USA)

In the United States, concealed carry is the right to carry a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner. Even as the number of states adopting legislation permitting this has grown, it has met with opposition. 37 U.S. states permit adults who have applied, have no criminal record, and (in some cases) meet training requirements to carry one or more handguns in a concealed manner; issuing officials may not arbitrarily deny a permit application, a practice known as "shall issue." A further nine states have "may issue" laws; typically specific "need" must be established, but in practice, this is a mechanism to prohibit most people from carrying. These "may issue" states range from "shall issue" in practice (Alabama and Connecticut are examples) to "at the whim of local officials" (such as New York and California; rural officials in those states liberally issue permits but officials in urbanized counties generally do not unless the requestor is rich and/or powerful.) to "almost non-issue" in states such as Maryland and Hawaii where even documented death threats are sometimes not sufficient to convince officials to issue permits. Two states (Vermont and Alaska) allow any non-criminal who has reached the age of 21, in the case of Alaska, or 18, in the case of Vermont, to carry without a permit of any kind. Alaska issues a permit; it is, however, optional, and is used by Alaska residents for gaining reciprocal carry rights in certain other states.

Related Topics:
United States - Right - Handgun - Alabama - Connecticut - New York - California - Maryland - Hawaii - Vermont - Alaska

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As of 2005, only four US States: Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Illinois have no provision whatsoever that would allow for the legal concealed carry of firearms by "ordinary" citizens. There are currently movements in each of these states to pass concealed-carry laws; in two of these states, legislation was passed in 2004, but vetoed by the respective governors.

Related Topics:
Nebraska - Kansas - Wisconsin - Illinois

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Carrying a weapon is an enormous responsibility. Training courses spend a considerable amount of time discussing the many aspects of liability should one actually use a handgun, even to defend oneself. Although state laws vary, almost any use that is allowed is solely as a last resort, when one fears that life is in danger, when escape or retreat are not options, and warnings are given and ignored.

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This liability is particularly present if the wearer brandishes the weapon, threatens to use a weapon, worsens a troubled situation (instead of calming it or simply leaving), or is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Any criminal sanction for use of firearms can apply to the permit-holder as well as to the professional criminal.

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