What States can you conceal carry a firearm without a license – legally?

In the United States there are some States you can conceal carry a firearm without a license, but many more that you either require to have a license or in some US Territories, you cannot carry one at all. Let‘s start with what exactly that means.

The regulations on firearms is for the most part governed on a state level and not the Federal level. The few Federal Laws have to do with age limits of sales, taxation of manufacturing, transfer of firearms and the limitations on firearms to certain people such as felons.

Currently in the world, the estimated number of firearms is over 1 billion. Of that number the top 8 countries that own them are

• United States
• Yemen
• Canada
• Pakistan
• Germany
• Iraq
• Saudi Arabia
• France

The US is believed to have more than 350 million firearms with it equalling out to more than one firearm for every citizen. Some estimations say that the private citizenship of the country has almost as many firearms as the combined number in all military branches.

Firearm Ownership by State

According to the dictionary to Conceal Carry you are concealing a firearm on your person while in public.  Open Carry is to carry a firearm openly in public.  In most states, a licence to conceal carry is required. To get that license, you have to meet certain requirements dictated by the state. While some states are different than others in their requirements, there are some that are the same.

• Must be at least 18 years old for rifles and at least 21 years old for handguns.
• Complete a 8 hour gun safety class and have a competentcy certificitate
• Passport Photo
• Valid ID
• Crimanal Background (not required in all states)
• Mental Compententcy (not required in all states)
• Fingerprint. (Either ink or digital)
• Fees. (Of course there is a fee!)

Ok so you have met the requirements, now what? Each state has different guidelines on the issuance of that CCL. There are different ones and each is a bit different. This is the different classifications and which states require them.

• Shall Issue to Residents Only – CCL are issued to residents of the state only and include the reuirements listed above. States that use this guideline are:
  • Alabama
  • Louisana
  • Colorado
  • Michigan
  • Georgia
  • Montana
  • Wyoming
  • Guam
  • Shall Issue toRs1`idents and Non-Residents- CCLare issued to residents and non-residents and include the listed requirements. States that use this guideline are:
  • Arkansas
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
  • Hdaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kentucky
  • Minessota
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Orego
  • Pennsylvania
  • Pureto Rico
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin
• May Issue to Residents Only: In these states the government can decide who gets a license and yet still all the requirements have to be met to apply.
  • California
  • Delaware
  • Virgin Islands
• May Issue to Residents and Non-Residents. Again the key word here is MAY. The state government can decide who gets a license and still require all the other requirements be met to apply.
  • Conneticut
  • Hawaii
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • New Jersey
  • New York
• Constitutional Carry and Shall Issue to Residents Only – In these states you can conceal carry without a required Conceal Carry Licence, but if you feel better having one, the state will issue to residents only.
  • Alaska
  • West Virginia
• Constitutional Carry and Shall Issue to Residents and Non-Residents – Again these states allow conceal carry without a CCL needed but if you want one, the state will issue to both residents and non-residents.
  • Arizona
  • Kansas
  • Maine
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • New Hampshire
• Constitutional Carry and does not issue – In the state of Vermont all can conceal carry and do not need a CCL license. Truly how I believe our founding fathers intended the ammendment. I wish all states were like this!

Just like with conceal carry, each state regulates how you can open carry. Believe me it is much more complicated than the conceal carry rules! For example in North Dakota, you can open carry without an license only if your firearm is unloaded and only during daylight hours. For those with a CCL you can open carry a loaded firearm in daylight hours. Yet you can open carry a loaded long gun no matter the time of day and without any licensing… Go figure!

Just a few Statistics including one the media does not want you to know.

Statistically there are approximately more than one billion firearms in the world. Of those Billion or so, the US has the most privately owned firearms. The top 8 countries for firearm ownership are:

• United States
• Yemen
• Canada (Did this one surprise you too?)
• Pakistan
• Germany
• Iraq
• Saudia Arabia
• France

In our country alone it is said that there is more than one firearm for every adult citizen in our population. The top 12 states for firearm ownership of over 50% of the population are:

1. Alaska – 61.7%
2. Arkansas – 57.9%
3. Idaho – 56.9%
4. West Virginia – 54.2%
5. Wyoming – 53.8%
6. Montana – 52.3%

States for firearm ownership under 20% of the population

1. New York – 10.3%
2. New Jersey – 11.3%
3. New Hampshire – 14.4%
4. Conneticut – 16.6%
5. Ohio – 19.6%
6. Nebraska – 19.8%
7. Delaware – 5.2%
8. Rhode Island – 5.8%

Now the one statistic the ‘media’ does not want you to know. They spout off to us each and every minute of every day how firearms are the biggest cause of death and how tighter regulations of them will save the population, but what they don’t say is that the largest catagory of deaths related to firearms is SUICIDE. It is not violence against each other but individuals that choose to take their own life.

So with all that said, which states can you conceal carry a firearm without a license?

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• New Hampshire
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

It is said that the private citizens of the US own nearly as many firearms as the combined branches of the military and to me this is just exactly what our founding fathers intended when they wrote the second ammendmendment. Who are we but the private militia of this great country.

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people tokeep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.