To arm or not to arm, that is the question

What is Constitutional carry?

In thirty states and the District of Columbia a permit is required in order for you to carry a firearm outside of your home. The process to acquire this permit varies from state to state with some being more difficult than others. A few requirements include but are not limited to residency and age requirements, a firearms training course, no history of drug abuse or mental problems, and an explicit reason for carrying a weapon in the first place. The time it takes for the process to acquire a permit also varies from state to state, from a few weeks to a few months. And even then there are more restrictions when it comes to actually carrying the weapon. These restricitons can inlude which areas you can actually carry your weapon. And also you are required in most states to have it concealed to the general public

Constitutional Carry, or permitless carry, is the removal of any permit requirement to carry a gun, the only exemption being ex felons or fugitives, or anyone mandated by court order to be unarmed. So provided you have bought a weapon with a complete background check and are an adult citizen with good standing you can simply carry a loaded weapon wherever you go, although there are a few restrictions I listed above.

In the state of Vermont there is no carry permit system in place, which makes it one of the twenty states in the union which does not require a permit to carry. Texas is now the latest state to remove its permit requirements for conceal carry and is part of a new general trend in the relaxation of gun laws nationwide.

Conclusion

With more and more states bringing permitless carry laws into effect. And no states intending to shift to may issue or no issue laws. It seems that Constitutional carry is the future of firearm ownserhip in America. And it makes sense. In a nation which has a right to bear arms in its Constitution, it merely makes sense to remove as many barriers from practicing that right as possible. You do not need a permit to practice free speech or freedom of the press, so why a permit to bear arms? Why so many "safeguards" over an act that a criminal will just do anyway? The introduction of Constitutional carry will allow citizens to protect themselves and be free from onerous bureacratic regulation that will prevent them from doing so.

Various types of carry
Types of issue Description Prevelance
May Issue Type of permitting law where the issuing of a permit is at the sole discretion of a local authority, typically a police department. The applicant must provide a proper reason for applying for a carry permit and in many cases the sole reason of self defense does not apply. Within a may issue jurisdiction the local authority does not need to provide a substantive reason for rejecting an application for a permit. The problem with this style is that it opens the door for local authorities to arbritrarily reject the issuing and renewal of permits without proper cause. Currently nine states have a may issue statute in place. An important note:The issuing of permits depend on the local authority, typically on the county level. Meaning that alhtough there is a may issue statute on the state level, many county authorities are more liberal when issuing carry permits, essentially making them shall issue in practice.
Shall Issue A less resctrictive form of permitting where a license to carry is still required, and several requirements must be reached in order to obtain that license, but the local authoritiy is required by law to grant the permit if the applicant reaches all eligible criteria. And the applicant does not need to provide a proper cause to apply for a permit. Currently twenty states, including the islands of Puerto Rico and Guam, have an official shall issue statute.
No Issue The most restricitve type of permitting law where only in under very limited circumstances is a person allowed to carry a weapon on their person. While although there is a permit system inplace, the authorities will rarely issue a conceal carry permit to an ordniary person. Exemptions to this rule could be applied to on and off duty military personel, security guards, retired law enforcement, or anyone with an active threat agaisnt them. While there is no official no issue statute on the state level in the United States, there are states such as New Jersey and many major cities and counties in New York, Massachusetts, and California where the local authorities almost never issue carry permits.
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Permitting laws of different states
All fifty states and their permitting laws. Notes that even neighboring states can have have widely different carry laws which can be disorienting for gun owners who wish to cross state lines.

Pros of permitless carry

  1. It allows citizens to bear arms on their person to protect themselves against threats. And can allow them to rapidly respond and arm up prepare for an active threat that has recently appeared.
  2. Due to the increased prevelance of regular citizens bearing arms on their person, criminals will be greatly deterred. It turns out it is significantly difficult to burglurize a house or mug somone in a back alley if your target has a gun.
  3. It will make it easier for community policing to form. A sort of policing where the citizens of a local community are able to enforce the law. Widely regarded as a more efficient method of policing than a centralized police department which in many cases sends officers from outside of the communities to police them, which in some cases encourages police brutality and reduces trust in police.

Potential cons of permitless carry

  1. With no safeguards in place, such as a lack of a mandated firearms prociency course, many people with little to no experience of training with firearms could carry them on their person, and who knows what could happen when they in fact face a threat.
  2. Another potential danger is that permitless carry could lead to dangerous misunderstandings between citizens and law enforcement. A citizen carrying a firaerm on their person could easily be misinterpreted as somemone planning to do harm.
  3. Violent criminals would be able to legally carry guns in public.
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