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Block a Federal Concealed Carry Mandate

    Block a Federal Concealed Carry Mandate

      What does this solve?

      Federal legislation creating a concealed carry mandate would gut state standards for who may carry hidden, loaded handguns in public. It is vital to block this mandate. It would force each state to recognize the concealed carry standards of every other state, even those that have dramatically weaker standards—and those that don’t have any standards at all.

      Federal law sets a baseline standard across the country for who is allowed to have guns, but does not otherwise regulate the carrying of concealed handguns in public. States set their own standards for having guns and for carrying concealed handguns in public. These standards vary dramatically state-by-state. States also decide which out-of-staters may carry concealed handguns within their borders. A Federal Concealed Carry Mandate is a threat to public safety.

      Which states require a permit to carry concealed guns in public?

      21 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

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Alabama has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Alaska has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Arizona has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Arkansas has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      California has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Colorado has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Connecticut has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Delaware has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Florida has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Georgia has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Hawaii has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Idaho has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Illinois has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Indiana has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Iowa has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Kansas has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Kentucky has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Louisiana has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Maine has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Maryland has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Massachusetts has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Michigan has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Minnesota has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Mississippi has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Missouri has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Montana has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Nebraska has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Nevada has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      New Jersey has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      New Mexico has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      New York has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      North Carolina has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      North Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Ohio has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Oregon has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      No

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Pennsylvania has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      No
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      —

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Rhode Island has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      Yes

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      South Carolina has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      South Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Tennessee has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Texas has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Utah has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Vermont has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Virginia has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      No

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Washington has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      No
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      —

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      West Virginia has not adopted this policy

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Wisconsin has adopted this policy

      If so, does the state require training?
      Yes
      Does state training include firing an actual gun?
      No

      Concealed Carry Permit Required

      Wyoming has not adopted this policy

      How it Works

      The gun lobby has been trying to pass a federal mandate for more than two decades.

      “Chaos and Uncertainty”: A Concealed Carry Mandate is Dangerous and Unpopular Fact Sheet

      A Federal Concealed Carry Mandate would force states to allow violent offenders and people with no firearm safety training to carry hidden, loaded handguns within its borders—even if those people could not otherwise legally carry a concealed weapon, let alone buy a gun, in that state. It does not create a national standard for concealed carriers across the country.

      Further, police often have no way to verify if an out-of-state permit is valid—meaning they would be unable to confirm if a person showing a carry permit is a law-abiding gun owner.1National Policing Institute, “National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence (NLEPPGV) 2010–2021: Partnership Report,” July 2021, https://policefoundation.org/publication/national-law-enforcement-partnership-to-prevent-gun-violence-nleppgv-2010-2021-partnership-report/. And because the legislation would even allow concealed carry by some people with no permit at all, out-of-state visitors could be armed without being screened by a background check, and law enforcement would have no permit to evaluate.

      Existing federal law already protects a law-abiding gun owner responsibly transporting firearms in a vehicle through a state—even if the state law would otherwise prohibit them from doing so.218 U.S.C. § 926A A federal mandate legislation would not amend this existing protection, but would instead override state standards for who may carry hidden, loaded handguns in public.

      By the numbers

      Featured Resources

      Block a Federal Concealed Carry Mandate

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      Did you know?

      Adopting a permitless law increased the rate of fatal shootings by police in states on average by 13 percent above what was expected had the law not been adopted.

      Mitchell Doucette et al., “Officer-Involved Shootings and Concealed Carry Weapons Permitting Laws: Analysis of Gun Violence Archive Data, 2014–2020,” Journal of Urban Health 99 (2022): 373–84, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-022-00627-5.