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The South Dakota legislature has passed a bill allowing residents to carry concealed handguns without a permit, sending the measure to Gov. Kristi Noem (R) for a signature. The state House passed the Senate legislation in a 47-23 vote on Tuesday to allow for the so-called “constitutional carry,” The Argus Leader reported. Noem has vocalized support for the measure before but said she will consider the language in the bill before signing it into law. "We are pleased to see constitutional carry pass the state Senate and House of Representatives. Hopefully Gov. Noem will see the benefit in providing law-abiding...

Support Constitutional Carry On 25 April 2018, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed Constitutional Carry by a vote of 59-28. The bill had passed the Senate unanimously on March 6th, 2018.  Constitutional Carry was part a bill removing wildlife refuges as gun free zones. The amendment process allowed the bill to bypass Senate committees that had blocked Constitutional Carry in the past. On 2 May 2018, the Oklahoma Senate passed Constitutional Carry again.  The popular bill had passed both the House and the Senate by veto-proof margins. It passed the Senate on a 33-8 vote.On 11 May of 2018, Governor...

A new study of violent crime and concealed carry law found no correlation between them. The study compared homicide and violent crime at the state level with changes in concealed carry law over a 30 year period, from 1986 to 2015. During this period there where large changes in the laws regulating the carry of concealed weapons. From the study: Results During the study period, all states moved to adopt some form of concealed-carry legislation, with a trend toward less restrictive legislation. After adjusting for state and year, there was no significant association between shifts from restrictive to nonrestrictive...

South Dakota is a deep red state. It should have passed Constitutional Carry years ago. Constitutional Carry is a reform of gun laws restrictions to approximate the restrictions in place when the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791. Actually, it did. More than once. But Republican governor Dennis Daugaard vetoed a Constitutional Carry bill on March 17, 2017.  This wasn't the first time.  It was a long-standing performance. Governor Daugaard vetoed his first Constitutional Carry bill in 2012.  In between, Daugaard was certain to lobby against Constitutional carry and get it killed with legislative maneuvers.A Governor does not...

Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday vetoed a bill supported by the National Rifle Association (NRA) that would have allowed state residents to carry a firearm without a permit or training. "I believe the firearms laws we currently have in place are effective, appropriate and minimal," Fallin said in announcing her veto of Senate Bill 1212, which would have removed the requirement for Oklahoma residents to complete a training course and demonstrate competency with a firearm before carrying in public. The governor argued that the bill would have taken away the ability of the state's law enforcement personnel to...

HB 2951 has been introduced in the Oklahoma House. It is an interesting version of Constitutional Carry. The bill adds self-defense to the list of activities that are exceptions to the general prohibition on carrying weapons that exist in Oklahoma law. It includes knives as well as guns. From koco.com: Coody said House Bill 2951 is about law-abiding citizens protecting themselves in worst-case situations. The proposed legislation says anyone 21 or older, or at least 18 years old and a veteran or enlisted military member, would be able to carry a gun or rifle without a license. Here is the...

Indiana Representative Jim Lucas has re-introduced a Constitutional Carry bill in the Indiana legislature.In 2017, Lucas lead the fight to bring Constitutional Carry to Indiana. He was heavily opposed by the Indiana Media. He fought back by proposing a bill to require professional journalists to be fingerprinted and submit an application to the state to be approved for a journalist license, in order to exercise their freedom of the press.It was a nice bit of satire, fighting back against an agenda driven media. While the Constitutional Carry bill did not pass, a non-scientific poll at wane.com showed 84 percent in...

Constitutional Carry is on the move in Alabama. Senate Bill 3 would eliminate the need for a carry permit for law-abiding adults.From dothanfirst.com: Senate bill 3, sponsored by senator Gerald Allen, would repeal the permit requirement for the carrying of firearms.It would allow any law-abiding adult who can legally possess a firearm to carry a handgun for self-defense in Alabama without having to first obtain a permit to do so. The NRA-ILA confirms the essence of the bill. It does not eliminate the shall issue permit system that is now in place. Alabamians would still be able to obtain permits...

South Dakota passed Constitutional Carry in the 2017 Legislative session.  The legislation allowed people who had North Dakota drivers licenses or nondriver identification cards to carry concealed weapons, thus becoming a practical Constitutional Carry state.  However, another provision of North Dakota law prohibits most people from carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle. State legislators asked the Attorney General if the Constitutional Carry provision applied to carrying a loaded firearm in vehicles. He wrote an official opinion stating that it did so apply.  Here are the relevant conclusions.  From nd.gov: Thus, even though a concealed weapons license is no...

The Wisconsin Constitutional Carry or permitless carry bill is likely to come up for a vote in the Wisconsin Senate this month, according to the NRA-ILA. Critical legislation that will improve your ability to defend yourself may be voted on in the Wisconsin state Senate this month. Senate Bill 169 will allow for the concealed carry of a firearm without a concealed carry license anywhere in the state where an individual is legally allowed to be.  The bill moves the ball forward to make real what Wisconsin voted for in 1998, when they passed the Constitutional amendment noted above. Article...

I am a lifelong firearm enthusiast. I started shooting at 10 years old when my father got me a Crossman pump action air rifle with a four power Tasco scope. He was one of only three NRA training counselors in the state of Wisconsin for many years. I began shooting competitively through 4-H not long after, eventually shooting air rifle, air pistol, and shotgun trap through the program. After 4-H, I went on to shoot small-bore rifle in local competitions. Today, I own four firearms of various kinds, make time to shoot several thousand rounds per year, and am licensed...

An armed man pulled over after riding a dirt bike in North Philadelphia was shot and killed by a police officer during a confrontation Thursday evening, officials said, with surveillance video showing the officer shot the man while he was running away. "It was a very violent encounter," Police Commissioner Richard Ross said. The explosive scene evolved around 6:40 p.m. on the 4100 block of Whitaker Avenue near the southern edge of the Feltonville neighborhood when an officer transporting people to the Special Victims Unit saw the dirt bike rider driving erratically and stopped to tell the man to stop,...

LANSING, MI -- Michiganders would no longer need a concealed pistol license to carry a concealed pistol under legislation approved by the Michigan House of Representatives on Wednesday. House bills 4416 through 4419 strike the requirement that a Michigander have a license to carry a concealed weapons. People banned from possessing firearms would be banned from carrying them as well. The bills also reduce penalties for certain infractions relating to carrying a pistol without proper identification or disclosure as well. Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, is a sponsor of one of the bills. She and other sponsors refer to the bills...

MADISON - People in Wisconsin would be able to carry concealed firearms without getting training or state permits, under a proposal debated by lawmakers Wednesday. The broad legislation would also allow some people to bring guns onto school grounds and lower the penalties on unauthorized people who are caught doing so. The bill by Sen. David Craig (R-Town of Vernon) and Rep. Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) goes beyond the state’s 2011 law, which allows concealed weapons but reserves them for trained and licensed residents. Instead, Senate Bill 169 would make Wisconsin a “constitutional carry” state where qualifying people could pack firearms...

House Bill 1911 passed with a vote of 6-2 in the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, allowing for the carry of handguns without a permit. Often called “Constitutional carry”, permitless carry is one of the eight priorities outlined by the Republican Party of Texas and is currently legal in fourteen states... HB 1911 will now move to the Calendars Committee where it will await scheduling for debate on the floor of the Texas House. Text of the legislation along with a record of actions taken can be found at www.capitol.state.tx.us.

 H. 3930, a Constitutional Carry bill is on the move in South Carolina. On March 9th, it passed the Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee.On 21 March, it passed the full committee with a vote of 15 to 7.  On Wednesday, April 5th, it passed the House. Last year a similar bill passed the House, but died in the Senate. From thepostandcourier.com: COLUMBIA — The South Carolina House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow residents to carry a gun, openly or concealed, without getting a weapons permit.The controversial bill passed the chamber 64-46 after more than three...

After New Hampshire enacted Constitutional Carry, similar bills are still under consideration and a chance in Alabama, Indiana, North Dakota, and South Carolina. The bill is still under consideration in South Dakota, but the governor in South Dakota has already indicated that he will veto the bill. As of right now, there is still a chance for 16 to 17 states having Constitutional Carry by the end of the year. Alabama: Will likely be voted on in the state Senate during the week of March 13th. Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill, SB 24, with a 6-3 vote on March...

Two critical pieces of pro-gun rights legislation are coming up for a hearing in the House Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee on Wednesday, March 8th at 10:15am: HF188: Constitutional Carry (also known as Permitless Carry) HF238: Defense of Person and Dwelling Act (also known in other states as "Stand your Ground") These are the two centerpieces of our 2017 legislative agenda --- and this year we have the best chance of passing them through the legislature because of the work that supporters like you did during the 2016 elections - by putting a pro-Second Amendment legislature in...

New Hampshire Enacts Constitutional Carry Constitutional carry continues to grow in popularity among states New Hampshire became the latest state to adopt a permitless concealed gun carry policy on Wednesday. Governor Chris Sununu (R., N.H.) signed the legislation that allows anyone in New Hampshire to legally carry a gun so long as they are legally allowed to possess a gun. The measure removes the permitting process that had previously been required for gun carry.