Constitutional Carry - 20 States! And That Makes 29

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.

The Maryland HQL - How Long and How Much for your Rights?

I finally finished the process one must complete to buy a handgun in Maryland. The entire process will have taken me about 6 months before I can take possession of any newly purchased handgun. However, before one gets all excited the ACTUAL time is 22 days. I took the class back in October of 2013 but I had waited before putting in the actual application, hence the 6 months bit. But from the day you take a training class to the soonest you would be eligible to pick up a newly purchased handgun after the waiting period ends is around 21 days. Are you interested in the minimum total cost? With NO GUN PURCHASED you are looking at spending a minimum of $124.50 for just the HQL. If you actually buy a gun the minimum total cost not including the cost the handgun is $164.50.

As I had stated earlier the class was back in October 2013 but I waited for personal reasons. I finally put in the application 26 March 2014 (a Wednesday) after having completed the fingerprinting requirement (my finger print receipt says 3/25/14). I watched the Maryland State Police license page everyday afterward except on Sunday. By Sunday all the sections had been completed except the MVA Photo, LiveScan and NICS sections (I imagine those last 3 are actually the easiest sections since NICS is instant). The page has a section that breaks down the various Maryland criminal and mental health agencies' databases the MD State Police reference when completing the background check. There are also sections for the fingerprinting part and the "MVA Photo" they need for the hard copy and of course the NICS checks. As each agency reports back, each section is reported as 'Completed.' Once all sections are complete then an "approval officer" completes the process. If all goes well, you'll have an active HQL number in about a week. Mine went active on 31 March (a Monday).

Once you have an active number though you still can't buy a handgun... You actually need the laminated card. That takes about a week to be mailed out to you; I got my card 7 April (a Monday). That means that it took 12 days from the day I put in the application to the day I received the card. But we're not done yet. I could have run out and bought a handgun on 7 April. Had I done that I would STILL have to wait at LEAST 7 days before I could pick up a firearm that I just bought (Maryland has a 7 day waiting period). If I had taken the class on 25 March and if the store allows "8th day pickup" then you are looking at 21 days before you a able to exercise your right to own a handgun.

But what about the cost? The ACTUAL minimum cost to purchase a handgun with all the fees and taking the cheapest class I could find plus the cost of a chamber lock (more on that later) is $164.50. Below is the breakdown:

Cheapest class I could find* - $20.00
Cheapest LiveScan fingerprinting I could find - $54.50
Maryland State Police HQL Application fee - $50.00

Minimum Initial Cost - $124.50

*Please note that the $20 class is offered by one group otherwise the classes offered by other groups are usually around $100 to $120. This brings you to a cost of around $204.50 and upward.

Purchasing a handgun, however, requires a little more money to go to the State Police plus one other requirement State law says is needed: the chamber lock. A chamber lock is a device that is inserted into the chamber of the firearm then the key is inserted into the muzzle and rotated to lock the device in place. This locks up the action so one can't pull the slide back. The State says that you have to have a chamber lock before you leave the store. If you can't get one from a buddy then you have to buy one. The fee that goes to the State Police is for something that I'm not sure about. I've seen where it says Government Background on a receipt from BassPro for $10 but I've heard it was a transfer or registration fee. Additional Costs below:

State Police transfer/registration fee - $10.00
Chamber Lock - $30.00

So, in total, if you want to exercise the 'KEEP' part of your right to "keep and bear arms" (specifically a handgun) as a resident of Maryland you will wait around 3 weeks and you will pay a minimum of $124.50 in addition to the cost of the firearm of your choice plus sales tax, fees and required accessories. The total cost of that new $550 Glock 19 GEN4 you want? Around $747.50 without any extra mags, ammo or other accessories. But remember, not all of the HQL classes are that cheap. Many of the classes available are around $100 to $120 but some of those classes offer more that just the basic class. From what I have heard, some of the more expensive classes have you shoot various handguns giving you experience with those firearms to help you choose which gun you may end up buying.

When you buy the gun you still have to do several pages worth of paperwork in addition to the standard form 4473. Everyone does form 4473 no matter what state you live in; its a federal requirement when you buy from a dealer. But Maryland has about 3 or 4 pages you still have to fill out which, incidentally, those pages are basically the same as form 4473 AND the questionnaire you had to answer when put in the application for the HQL. TRIPLE REDUNDANCY!!! Thankfully once you have the HQL you can buy all the handguns you want (you'll still have fill out all the pages for each purchase). I would strongly suggest you buy as many as you can so as to help offset that initial cost. Additionally the license lasts for 10 years; I'd like to move out of this idiotic State before then but only time will tell.

I just want to say that it boggles my mind to think that people are willing to set dangerous precedence by requiring lengthy delays and monetary costs that the ordinary, everyday citizen has to jump through before exercising what is a fundamental, Constitutionally protected right.

Don't believe owning a handgun is a right? Don't take it from me The Supreme Court says it is (see the 2008 Heller Case).

Update: I may have some of the days wrong. The dates are correct but the math may not stack up just right. Either way, your still looking at about 21 to 24 days before you can actually legally pick up a newly purchased handgun from the store.