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.

Mental Health is Where We Are Failing - Just My Opinion

I'm tired people shooting up people. I'm tired of hearing how banning semi-automtic rifles will stop mass shootings, I'm tired of hearing the political term "Assault Weapons," I'm tired of crazy people and domestic terrorists committing atrocities and I'm tired of hearing "+30,000 people die from gun violence."

Your Red Herring

Banning AR-15's and similar center-fire semi-automatic rifles along with other proposed "assault weapons" is absolutely a red herring and will not prevent someone from using a firearm such as a pump-action shotgun and/or a handgun to commit a mass shooting. My cherry-picked evidence of this comes in the form of the Charleston, SC church shooting and Virginia Tech shooting where those persons committed their crimes with handguns. In another attack that occurred in Germany in 2002, a person with a pump-action shotgun (an extremely ubiquitous firearm here in the US) and a handgun attacked a school, killing teachers. With this information, it's very clear that an AR-15 is not the only firearm that can be used in a mass shooting. This is your evidence that banning these touted "assault weapons" will prevent mass shootings is a "red herring."

So what will?

Nothing.

As long as people have a basic understanding of what a firearm is and how it works, a motivated person can fabricate a firearm easily and commit a mass shooting (the FBI defines a mass shooting as when 4 or more are shot but not necessarily killed). Yes, banning guns and strictly controlling their access and limiting those who would have access to said firearms will reduce mass shootings assuming you were able to confiscate the ones here in the US one wanted to prohibit (good luck with that blood bath). In parallel, if you ban alcohol the number of DUI's would probably drop since the substance is less prevalent. Though this is the US and we literally have a sport that was born from running illegal alcohol (NASCAR). So again, good luck with that. That's where that similarity ends but the basic idea is that if there is more of something that exists, you are more likely to run into it being used inappropriately. This goes for everything that exists including Free Speech. All in all, you will never see control like you see in Japan and Germany as long as the Supreme Court says the Heller case is canon.

So how can we MINIMIZE mass shootings.

The reality is that we need to analyze the various attacks but from what I can tell, the most common denominator is mental health. Other reasons exist such as a non-violent person breaking down and attacking in a fit of passion/anxiety or a terrorist attack but those are going to be difficult to stop and require a different approach.

My opinion is that the mental health infrastructure is what should be addressed. An analysis of the laws on the books will be needed to see where we can create a precision law, and not a shotgun blast like a ban would be, that would protect people's rights AND lives. Personally I feel that life without freedom is slavery.

It appears that law enforcement dropped the ball with the Parkland shooting and could have prevented it by putting this kid on the NICS list prior to his 18th birthday. It appears they had several opportunities. Remember that we do have a system in place but if we don't use it correctly then there isn't really a point in having it.

If we can improve our mental health infrastructure, we befit from not only in helping reduce these attacks but we also stand to improve some of the lives of those 44,000 people that commit suicide every year.

But "30,000+ people die from gun violence every year!"

The people who push this number clump the 19,000 people who would commit suicide with a firearm in with people who murder the other 11,000. I feel this is inappropriate and unhelpful if not down right disrespectful to those people suffering from depression and anxiety that choose to end their life. By sorting out how to better handle the mental health issue and narrowly tailoring our laws, we stand a chance of not only saving a few of the 11,000 from being mowed down during a mass shooting, we can also save some of the 44,000 who choose to kill themselves, all while protecting our rights.

The Folding AR - Now Project PDW; Short Update

I had an opportunity today to take Project PDW over to 42 North to run some Tula steel case and Winchester Forge through it. I am very excited to report that she will eat just about everything; with a caveat. Apparently, neither the ETS or Magpul GL-9 polymer magazines were willing to feed the steel cased cartridges without trouble. Once the last few rounds above the follower get to the bottleneck the cases have too much friction and bind up the magazine. I will make sure to take some Glock-brand Glock mags out and try again. 

Project PDW - Continuing my testing with junk ammo. The gun will eat anything but the mags are another story. #projectpdw #thepewpewlife #steelcase #ar15

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on Aug 7, 2017 at 12:01pm PDT

The Hearing Protection Act - Finally Something Congress Can Get Right!

Recently, bill H.R. 3799 was introduced by Representative Matt Salmon of Arizona. The purpose is to change how firearm suppressors (or silencers in legal terminology) are treated. Instead of being treated like a Title 2 firearm (as they are now) they will be treated like a Title 1 firearm. This means that instead of paying a $200 dollar tax and filing paperwork that takes MONTHS (usually) for the ATF to finish, you complete the usual form firearm form 4473 just like you would for a rifle or shotgun.

I think the best reason for this is noise reduction, especially for those who live near a shooting range. I definitely want one for my home defense pistol. A single shot from a pistol fired in an outdoor, very open space is very loud and can ring your ears if you aren't wearing ear protection (I've done it - it hurt). Firing the same pistol in a confined space like a hallway can really mess you up.

I also want one because suppressors are cool. I've been thinking about buying one for a while now but it'll be a while before I get around to starting that process.

I FULLY support H.R. 3799.

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.