After Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, and Ohio have now passed laws removing the requirement of a concealed carry permit in 2022, half of the states in the country have no mandates for their residents to own a concealed carry permit to carry firearms in public.
The state of Alabama began enforcing its no-permit concealed carry law on Monday and became the 25th state in the country to allow this practice. The states of Indiana, Georgia, and Ohio have also passed similar laws recently.
This comes after 10 states moved to allow permit-free concealed carry in the past two years. States like Utah, Montana, Iowa, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas all passed legislation recently in support of the Second Amendment.
“Unlike states who are doing everything in their power to make it harder for law-abiding citizens, Alabama is reaffirming our commitment to defending our Second Amendment rights,” the state’s Republican Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement after signing the bill into law. “I have always stood up for the rights of law-abiding gun owners, and I am proud to do that again today.”
Alabama Will Allow Concealed Carry of Handguns Without a Permit Beginning on January 1, 2023 https://t.co/UkDNPTwwRQ pic.twitter.com/2WvopEpCLS
— Breaking Digest (@breaking_digest) January 1, 2023
A similar law was signed into law in Georgia in April 2022 by Republican Governor Brian Kemp. This legislation overturned the then-existing law that mandated residents to obtain a license and undergo a background check for concealed carrying firearms in public.
“SB 319 makes sure that law abiding Georgians – including our daughters and your family, too – can protect themselves without having to ask permission from state government,” Gov. Kemp said in a statement after signing the bill into law.
“Passing this essential legislation has been a priority for the NRA for many years, and we’re thrilled to celebrate this huge success,” Jason Ouimet, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, said following Georgia’s decision to pass the law.
Similarly, in March, Indiana’s Republican Governor, Eric Holcomb signed the state’s concealed carry permit into effect removing the existing mandate for residents to obtain a handgun permit to legally conceal carry and transport a handgun within state lines. The legislation removed the permit requirement in most cases but in special cases of felonies, or domestic abuse charges, some residents might require a license to carry a firearm in public.
“HEA 1296, which I’ve signed today, entrusts Hoosiers who can lawfully carry a handgun to responsibly do so within our state,” Gov. Holcomb said at the time of signing the law. “It’s important to note that if a person is prohibited, under federal or state laws, from possessing a firearm before this law goes into effect, that person will still be prohibited.”
This pattern represents a historic change and a positive mindset toward the second amendment. For several decades in the past, Vermont was the only state in the country that allowed permit-free concealed carry for its residents. The state of Wyoming became the second state in 2011. Following Wyoming and Vermont’s success, other states started adopting similar legislations and in the last 12 years, 23 states have moved to protect their residents’ second amendment right.
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