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Which states bar concealed carry by people who pose a danger?

16 states have adopted this policy

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Alabama has not adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Alaska has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Arizona has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Arkansas has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

California has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Yes

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Colorado has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Connecticut has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Delaware has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Yes

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Florida has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Georgia has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Hawaii has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Yes

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Idaho has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Illinois has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Indiana has not adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Iowa has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Kansas has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Kentucky has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Louisiana has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Maine has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Maryland has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Yes

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Massachusetts has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Michigan has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Minnesota has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Mississippi has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Missouri has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Montana has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Nebraska has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Nevada has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

New Jersey has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Yes

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

New Mexico has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

New York has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Yes

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

North Carolina has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

North Dakota has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Ohio has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Oregon has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Pennsylvania has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Rhode Island has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Yes

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

South Carolina has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

South Dakota has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Tennessee has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Texas has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Utah has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Vermont has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Virginia has adopted this policy

Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
No

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Washington has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

West Virginia has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Wyoming has not adopted this policy

What It Does

One of the key concealed carry policies empowers officials to block concealed carry by a person who poses a danger or otherwise cannot be trusted to carry in public places. This intervention can ensure that a person at high risk of escalating violence will not be armed during a confrontation. In June 2022, the Supreme Court struck down a New York law requiring applicants for a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public to show “proper cause,” i.e. a bona fide and particular need to carry a firearm for self-defense, which law has been in effect for more than one hundred years. Several other states had similar laws. However, the Court expressly declined to interfere with the public carry regimes of states that deny applicants who pose a danger to public safety.  A full discussion on the Supreme Court’s decision is here and a full discussion of Standards for Concealed Carry is here.

Authority to Deny Public Carry for Public Safety

Policy adopted? Does the state law permit denial for "good cause"?
Alabama No
Alaska —
Arizona —
Arkansas —
California Yes
Colorado No
Connecticut No
Delaware Yes
Florida —
Georgia —
Hawaii Yes
Idaho —
Illinois No
Indiana No
Iowa —
Kansas —
Kentucky —
Louisiana No
Maine —
Maryland Yes
Massachusetts No
Michigan —
Minnesota No
Mississippi —
Missouri —
Montana —
Nebraska —
Nevada —
New Hampshire —
New Jersey Yes
New Mexico —
New York Yes
North Carolina —
North Dakota —
Ohio —
Oklahoma —
Oregon No
Pennsylvania No
Rhode Island Yes
South Carolina —
South Dakota —
Tennessee —
Texas —
Utah —
Vermont —
Virginia No
Washington —
West Virginia —
Wisconsin —
Wyoming —
Show Citations and Footnotes 
Source: Ala. Code § 13A-11-75(c)(11); Ark. Code Ann. §§ 5-73-309, 5-73-308(b)(1); Cal. Penal Code §§ 26150; 26155; Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-203(1), (2); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-28(b); Del. Code Ann. tit. 11, § 1441(a), (d); Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-9; 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. §§ 66/10(a)(4), 66/20; Ind. Code §§ 35-47-2-3(e)(2), (3), 35-47-1-7(6); La. Stat. Ann. § 40:1379.3(A), (C)(16); Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety § 5-306(6); Mass. Gen. Laws  ch. 140, § 131(d); Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. (6)(a);  N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:58-4; N.Y. Penal Law § 400.00(1)(b), (n), (2)(f); Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 166.291(1), 166.293(2); 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 6109(e)(1); 11 RI Gen Laws § 11-47-11; Va. Code Ann. §§ 18.2-308.04, 18.2-308.09(13).

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