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Palmetto State lawmakers officially became the latest to do away with permitting requirements for public gun-carry. The South Carolina Senate passed H. 3594 by a 28-18 vote on Wednesday. The measure will allow adults eligible to own a handgun to carry it in public, openly or concealed, without a permit. It now heads to the desk of Governor Henry McMaster (R.), who has pledged to sign it into law. The bill’s passage clears the way for South Carolina to become the 29th state to adopt permitless carry and the 27th since 2010, in what has arguably been the most successful...

Last June, Ohio became the 23rd state in the nation to adopt a “permitless carry” law, allowing legal gun owners to both keep and bear arms without having to first obtain a government permission slip. At the time, gun control activists and anti-gun politicians decried the move and declared it would make the state a more dangerous place. State Rep. Allison Russo even claimed that “Republicans have made it crystal clear that they value the approval of the gun lobby more than the lives of Ohioans and the police officers who protect our communities every day.”With the FBI’s crime statistics...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a “permitless carry” bill into law on April 3, making Florida the 26th state to do so, according to pro-Second Amendment groups. The legislation, passed by the Florida Legislature, allows people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit and without state-mandated training. It will go into effect starting July 1. John Velleco, executive vice president of Gun Owners of America, confirmed to the Miami Herald that DeSantis, a Republican, signed the legislation in front of a group of about 20 people. An official with the National Rifle Association (NRA) also confirmed DeSantis signed the...

Nebraska we are one step closer to the passage of Permitless Carry and ending the unconstitutional registry schemes of socialist-controlled cities that have lorded over the rural areas of the state for far too long.By demonstrating a willingness to be flexible in the fight and with single-minded persistence, Sen. Brewer pushed L.B. 77 through the first floor debate with a vote of 36-12! Please send a message expressing your appreciation to Sen. Brewer and his staff for their tireless efforts in defence of liberty!As we have witnessed over the last few sessions, the fight was not without its memorable moments…...

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — After years of trying to pass a bill to allow people to carry concealed guns in Nebraska without a permit, conservative lawmakers are on the cusp of doing so, thanks in part to the defection of two Democratic Omaha senators — the only Black lawmakers in the body — who cited racial disparity in enforcing gun laws in their districts. After three days of debate, lawmakers voted 36-12 Friday to advance the bill. It must survive two more rounds of debate to pass. While the bill would not usurp the federal requirement for a background check...

Police saw Carmon Tussey walking briskly toward a crowded Louisville bar carrying a semi-automatic weapon. With people running away, officers moved in, service weapons drawn. They put the 26-year-old in handcuffs and confiscated his gun. Tussey was later charged with terroristic threatening, wanton endangerment and disorderly conduct, prosecutors said, and could face up to 20 years in prison. His lawyer says he “was engaged in perfectly legal behavior” in the incident last year, raising a relatively new legal argument in the United States that now stands before the courts to settle. That’s because Kentucky made it legal in 2019 to...

Governor C.L Butch Otter reluctantly signed SB 1389, the permitless "Constitutional carry" bill that was passed by the Idaho legislature. His office sent the transmittal letter(pdf) to the President of the Senate today, the 25th of March, 2016. Idaho becomes the eighth state to restore permitless or "Constitutional" carry. Vermont never restricted concealed carry from those who were not felons or mentally defective. Governor Otter stated that he signed the bill with some reluctance, because the bill did not have a training requirement for the carry of firearms. There has never been a legal requirement for training in order to...

WEST VIRGINIA (WVVA) West Virginia will soon be among seven other states where residents can carry a concealed weapon without a permit. This comes after West Virginia Lawmakers voted this weekend to override Governor Earl Ray Tomblin's veto on House Bill 4145. The override on Tomblin's veto means that if you're older than 21 and live in West Virginia, permitless concealed carry will be law in 90 days. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin originally veto'd the bill with safety concerns. The West Virginia House and West Virginia Senate both voted to override Tomblin's veto.

The West Virginia legislature did not waste any time in overriding Governor Tomblin's veto of HB 4145, also known as "Constitutional carry" or permitless carry. Governor Tomblin vetoed a similar bill in 2015, but the veto occurred after the legislature had adjourned, making a veto override difficult. This year, the Constitutional carry bill was passed early enough for the legislature to vote on a veto override if necessary. Governor Tomblin received the Constitutional carry bill on 26 February. He waited to the last possible day to veto it, 3 March. The House of Delegates overrode his veto on 4 March,...

Constitutional carry is gaining momentum in the states.  Kansas recently passed legislation making it the sixth state to have constitutional carry (where people who may legally own guns have the right to carry them openly or concealed).  Mississippi passed a bill characterized as 90% constitutional carry, and a bill is pending in Maine that has majority support in the legislature, and likely support of the governor. The South Carolina bill, H3025, recently passed the second read in the South Carolina House, 90-18.   It still has to pass a third read, but amendments on the third read are required to...