Block a Federal Concealed Carry Mandate
What does it solve?
Federal legislation creating a federal 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. CCR is a threat to public safety.
Concealed Carry Permit Required
Which states require a permit to carry concealed guns in public?
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.
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
3 in 4
Three in four Americans oppose allowing people to carry concealed guns without a permit, including a majority of gun owners and Republicans.
27%
States that removed concealed carry permit requirements between 1999 and 2021 saw, on average, a 27 percent increase in gun homicides within three years of the change—the US as a whole saw less than half that increase.
32%
States that abandoned strong concealed carry permitting systems—including those with live firearm training requirements—for permitless carry from 1981 to 2019 saw an average 32 percent increase in gun assaults.
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