Of these United States, 27 have officially enacted laws that remove the requirement to have a permit to actively carry a firearm in public.
2021 has seen advancement of constitutional carry laws in several states with Iowa and Tennessee being successful in passing the laws off to their governors who signed them. They join the ranks of the several States such as Alaska, Kentucky and my home state of West Virginia who have chosen to return the power and control back to the people at large. These states still maintain permit systems so that residents may apply for a permit that is recognized by external states giving legal recognition to the People that travel outside of their resident state and exercise their natural right to self defense. I'll explain why this setup is important and a huge benefit to the free People at large.
The process of applying for a permit can be time consuming and expensive. In Georgia, our carry permit application costs around $70 to $80 and takes several weeks (my original application took about 3 weeks before I had my permit). You are required to have a permit for both open and concealed carry. While the application in Georgia isn't difficult, you are still subordinate to the bureaucracy before you can defend yourself with a firearm in public legally. If you are one of the people who don't have a permit and your life is in danger, you probably want the permit NOW and not 3 weeks from now. Dying because you had to wait around is not ideal. With COVID creating havoc in 2020, it took my resident county 2 months to renew my permit and it technically expired even though I had applied weeks before the expiration date. I have friends whos process took longer. Do your rights end just because a printed date on a plastic card has passed? No. No they do not.
The above is why I have and will always advocate for a system that, if you need the gun now to defend yourself, you have an option or method of carrying that gun that is legally recognized while you wait for your permit application to get through the system. Most people who get a permit don't do so preemptively. There is usually a trigger in their life that says "maybe I should do this." Thankfully for many people, they are able to get one before something bad happens. When I talk to new shooters who start down this path, I explain that they need to start the permit process right now before they even choose the gun because of the time involved.
If you have ever thought about buying a gun for personal defense, you need to go apply RIGHT NOW for concealed carry permit because the time it takes you can take longer than you may have.
Even if you never buy a gun, you'll at least have the carry permit so that SHOULD you purchase the gun, you'll be able to carry it. In a constitutional carry state, you'll be able to carry your newly purchased gun immediately. You've already done a background check to buy the gun and the likely chance is that, the background check system used to buy the gun is the same system used to run your information for the carry permit. Why not just run them at the same time or just use the original check for your authorization.
BUT ISN'T THAT DANGEROUS?
Not really. Most people's idea of a carry permit is based on the idea that maybe you shouldn't be allowed to do so as if you are a dangerous person. If that's the case, you shouldn't have the gun in the first place. If you are barred from a carry permit for criminal reasons, then you're barred from ownership.
Simply put, if you can own the gun, you can carry the gun.
I know that many people like the idea of requiring a demonstration of competency before authorizing carry, however, learning to use a pistol correctly is time consuming and could take longer than the process of the application. Not every person has the time to go to the range every week for the next 2 months and take classes to learn. It also interferes with the concept of immediate need. If you are in danger now, NOW is the time to carry the gun. You can learn as you go. It's why I advocate constitutional carry for domestic violence victims. If someone finally breaks away from a bad relationship, I don't want that victim to have to wait for the State or county to give them a permit. Go buy the gun, ammo and a holster then immediately go into the range and start learning.
So in short, I am very excited to see that two fifths of our Free Nation have removed the control of the People's rights from the State's regulation under the control of bureaucrats and restored the power of choice back to the People.
UPDATE June 2021 - 21 States thanks to Texas!
UPDATE March 2022 - Several states are moving toward constitutional carry. Ohio just sent theirs to the Governor after clearing both chambers. Georgia's passed the Senate and has gone to the House committee for review and I'm hoping they get it done soon. Alabama just sent one to the Senate floor and Indiana has one but I haven't done any research about it.
15 MAR 2022 Update: Ohio makes 23! On 14 March, the governor of Ohio signed their bill removing the need for a permit! Georgia has two competing bills currently. I'm hoping the Senate one gets passed by the House.
24 MAR 2022 Update: Indiana signed theirs into law on the 21st which makes 24!
01 APR 2022 Update: The Georgia House had been playing games with the SB 319 but the two chambers got a neutered-but-still-good bill passed and Georgia will send a Constitutional Carry bill to Governor Kemp soon.
08 APR 2022 Update: Kemp is expected to sign SB 319 into law as of next week. Additionally, Nebraska has sent their permitless carry bill to the Senate. If it clears, it'll go to their governor for signing which, if passed, would make it so more than half of the US states you can carry a pistol concealed with out permission from the State first. Huge retaking of freedoms going on!
18 APR 2022 Update: Louisiana is trying again and moved a bill out of their House committee. Here's hoping LA can get it done. I hear Florida is trying again as well.
22 APR 2022 Update: Louisiana's attempt passed the House and it off to the Senate. The Senate tried in 2021 but their Governor doesn't like freedom so he vetoed it. The Senate didn't override. Here's hoping they get it right this time. No update on Florida. Mini update. I was wrong, the FL bill died in committee. Lame.
04 MAR 2023 Update: Florida is back at it along with Nebraska, South Carolina and North Dakota. So far, those states have active bills in play to make Constitutional Carry a thing. If all 4 get it this year, that would make 29 states where you don't need to ask permission to carry a pistol.
1 APR 2023 - This isn't an April Fools Day joke, Florida finally passed a bill out of their Congress and sent Constitutional Carry to the Governor. As it sits now, DeSantis will likely sign it making Florida number 26.
03 APR 2023 - DeSantis signed permitless carry.
07 APR 2023 Update: Looks like South Carolina is getting a bill in the mix with S109. It has to be passed and go to their House for passage before it can go to their Governor.
20 APR 2023 - Nebraska is poised to become number 27 as their permitless carry bill has left their unicameral (one Chamber instead of a House and Senate) after being passed and is on it's way to the Governor who says he'd sign it. Once completed, Nebraska will become the 27th state in this Union to return to the traditional ways of firearms. Remember that permits weren't really a thing until the early 1900's. That statement is ignoring the restriction of concealed carry and preference of open carry in the mid 1800's. Which still highlights that both options were available at founding in the late 1790's.
12 SEPT 2023 - Nebraska did sign that bill and it has gone into effect on 02 SEPT.
24 JAN 2024 - South Carolina introduced a bill and will start debating it soon. Here's hoping SC gets permitless carry soon as the last one didn't get out of their Senate. HB3594 is this year's bill.
MAR 2024: Louisiana has completed the process to get constitutional carry out of their Congress and off to the Governor to sign. I don't know when he will sign it but the current expectation is that he will. Number 28, folks. Praise the Lord, We the People are clawing back our Rights. SC is making some amendments to their bill HB3594. We will see how this goes.
MAR 05 2024: Louisiana has officially restored completely, the Rights of the People to Keep and Bear Arms. Permitless carry goes into effect on July 4th, 2024. That makes 28 folks. God bless these United States.
MAR 07 2024: South Carolina also passed and signed constitutional carry. I honestly hadn't expected it but they got it.
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