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Sunday, December 22, 2024

California among 24 states that don't allow concealed carry without a permit, new study finds

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Gavin Newsom is the governor of California; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, recently signed a bill allowing Floridians to carry concealed, legally obtained guns without a permit. | California Governor's Office / Florida Governor's Office

Gavin Newsom is the governor of California; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, recently signed a bill allowing Floridians to carry concealed, legally obtained guns without a permit. | California Governor's Office / Florida Governor's Office

California is among 24 states that bar residents from carrying concealed weapons without a permit, a new tally of weapons permit laws by the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) concludes.

Vermont is often considered the pioneer of permitless concealed carry in the United States. The state's laws have allowed residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit since its inception. This practice is often referred to as "constitutional carry" or "Vermont carry."

A total of 121,000 weapons permits have been issued in California, representing 0.3% of the state’s total population, according to the association.

The terms “constitutional carry,” “permitless carry” and “unrestricted carry” have distinct definitions in this debate, USCCA says. Constitutional carry refers to states where the law doesn’t bar citizens from carrying arms they can legally possess – sometimes in a concealed way or sometimes in an open manner. Under constitutional carry, however, states may require a permit for carrying certain concealed weapons.

Permitless-carry states include states where constitutional carry is allowed as well as those states that allow only certain individuals to carry weapons, such as those who have not been pulled over for driving under the influence for 10 years. In some cases, a permit may be needed to carry a concealed firearm in permitless-carry states.

In permitless concealed carry states, individuals can carry firearms if they are legally able to possess such weapons by meeting the requirements of federal and state laws.

Florida was one of the most recent states to pass a concealed-carry bill, House Bill 543, which was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 3. The law allows Floridians to carry concealed, lawfully owned guns without a permit beginning on July 1 of this year.

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Does Your State Allow Concealed Carry With No Permit?

StateIs Concealed Carry Without Permit Allowed?
AlabamaYes
AlaskaYes
ArizonaYes
ArkansasYes
CaliforniaNo
ColoradoNo
ConnecticutNo
DelawareNo
FloridaYes
GeorgiaYes
HawaiiNo
IdahoYes
IllinoisNo
IndianaYes
IowaYes
KansasYes
KentuckyYes
LouisianaNo
MaineYes
MarylandNo
MassachusettsNo
MichiganNo
MinnesotaNo
MississippiYes
MissouriYes
MontanaYes
NebraskaNo
NevadaNo
New HampshireYes
New JerseyNo
New MexicoNo
New YorkNo
North CarolinaNo
North DakotaYes*
OhioYes
OklahomaYes
OregonNo
PennsylvaniaNo
Rhode IslandNo
South CarolinaNo
South DakotaYes
TennesseeYes
TexasYes
UtahYes
VermontYes
VirginiaNo
WashingtonNo
West VirginiaYes
WisconsinNo
WyomingYes
* for North Dakota residents only

U.S. Concealed Carry Association

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