Gun Rights Update: 90% of States Now Have Open Carry

AmmoLand ^ | September 15, 2025 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Open carry of handguns as of September 10, 2025

The number of states that ban the open carry of firearms has again been reduced to five. Before 2022, it was four, but New Jersey criminalized open carry, even with a permit, in 2022. New Jersey permit requirements and processes for obtaining a permit are being challenged in the courts. Connecticut banned open carry in 2023, making six states that generally banned open carry. Open carry with a permit is allowed in some rural parts of California. The California ban is being challenged in the Ninth Circuit.

On September 10, 2025, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal published a unanimous opinion that the Florida ban on the open carry of firearms in public is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, and can not be enforced in Florida. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeir supports the Florida case and has decided not to appeal it to the state Supreme Court. On a Youtube video, at  about 1:13, reporter for 10 Tampa Bay, Jennifer Titus says “Florida’s Attorney General says he doesn’t plan to have the case heard again.”  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis  says the court decision “aligns state policy with my long-held position and with the vast majority of states throughout the union.” This means the case becomes binding law in Florida.

The general ban on the open carry of firearms in Florida was relatively new. It was enacted in 1987, after heavy lobbying by Janet Reno, who became famous for her part in the massacre at Waco, Texas, during the Clinton administration. The open carry ban was part of a legislative compromise that enacted the extremely successful shall-issue concealed carry permit scheme

[marktwain]

There are a couple of errors in the map, brought to my attention after publication.

Maryland now bans the general open carry of modern handguns.

South Carolina no longer requires a permit for open carry.

[marktwain]

[Sacajaweau]

Time to make gun laws Federal...and therefore reciprocal.

Only Federal requirement is that it be registered.

[nuconvert]

I haven’t kept up. I’m surprised so many allow open carry.

[bert]

I thought a SCOTUS judgement decreed that all state laws restricting the “bearing” of arms were unconstitutional

[Z28.310]

“Only Federal requirement is that it be registered.”

You’re joking here?

FIRM “NO” to registration!

First step to confiscation.
... then they’ll want a registration “fee”, which will be a tax on a constitutional right... the only right which specifically says “...shall not be infringed”.

By this logic, should a citizen also have to “register” with mommyfedgov to speak freely, or to worship, or to gather?

[NorthMountain]

Only Federal requirement is that it be registered.

Why in Heaven's Name would you permit government to register weapons owned by Citizens? Of all the outrageous, tyrannical things to do ...

[ComputerGuy]

Open carry is permitted in most states.
Concealed carry is a different animal.

[Dead Corpse]

Only Federal requirement is that it SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.

Fixed it for you. Registration is the first step in confiscation. EVERY time.

[kvanbrunt2]

I haven’t kept up. I’m surprised so many allow open carry.>>>PA has always been open carry. But, if you open carry in Philly you will be stopped harassed and possibly detained and with Crazner maybe arrested..

[Dead Corpse]

In the Founder's day, carrying concealed was consider skulduggery and dishonest.

[1Old Pro]

Time to make gun laws Federal...and therefore reciprocal.

Of course.

[Feckless]

In 2023, at age 68, I did a 23 state, 11,000 mile solo motorcycle trip. Ironically, the only state I couldn’t open carry in was Florida (fixed now). In MI and WI I would walk into a restaurant and it was like an old Western movie, all conversation would stop and all eyes on me like I was about to sprout a second head.

I had 2 civilians and one LEO shake my hand and thank me for open carrying.

[CodeToad]

Registered? No way.

[CodeToad]

“In the Founder’s day, carrying concealed was consider skulduggery and dishonest.”

Nope. It was common practice.

[Disambiguator]

Only Federal requirement is that it be registered.

Um, no. Registration leads to confiscation, just like confiscation leads to genocide. Every time.

[marktwain]

Only Federal requirement is that it be registered.

---

Why would you want gun registration?

Gun registration is essentially gun confiscation, because tyrannical government is always a possibility.

Here is an essay I wrote on the subject:

https://www.ammoland.com/2019/09/gun-registration-is-gun-confiscation-updated-2019-edition/

[Tom Tetroxide]

Concealed carry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_carry

[marktwain]

“In the Founder’s day, carrying concealed was consider skulduggery and dishonest.”

---

Nope. It was common practice.

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It was pretty common at the founding.

About two generations after the ratification of the Bill of Rights, state legislatures started banning concealed carry.

The two reasons given were to prevent arguments with someone you did not know was armed, from escalating into murder. (Skulduggery) Second, to attempt to tamp down the popularity of duels between young men.

The banning of concealed carry took off after the Supreme Court decision in 1833 which ruled the Bill of Rights did not apply to state governments.

That was reversed with the Fourteenth Amendment after the Civil war.

[Candor7]

I agree.

Put the federal law under the interstate commerce clause.