Wyoming Governor signs Constitional Carry (permitless carry) reform bill

Wyoming Governor signs Constitutional Carry bill:

... This afternoon, I watched as Governor Mead signed Constitutional Carry into law while saying his office had been clogged with emails and phone calls from people demanding he sign the Jennings-Jaggi Constitutional Carry bill. ...

Article here. Wyoming now joins Alaska, Arizona, and Vermont in no longer requiring permits for lawful concealed carry by law-abiding citizens.

Update 3/5/2011: Here's another article, from the Washington Examiner:

Wyoming on Wednesday became the fourth state to allow citizens to carry concealed guns without a permit, with Gov. Matt Mead signing a bill into law as several other states considered similar action.

The law allows state citizens legally entitled to own guns to carry them concealed starting in July. The guns still wouldn't be allowed in schools, bars and government buildings.

"We have heard from both sides on this, this bill has attracted a lot of attention," Mead said at a signing ceremony at the state Capitol. "But as written, I thought it was an appropriate bill for Wyoming, and an appropriate law for Wyoming."

Similar bills are pending in states including Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Utah. A bill has been introduced in Kentucky but hasn't advanced while another was introduced for discussion in Idaho. ...

Note that the new law, which takes effect July 1, 2011, only applies to Wyoming residents, and not to non-residents such as travelers and visitors to the state. Non-residents will still need a recognized permit to lawfully carry concealed.

[LA] State's guns-in-church law draws interest

From Louisiana:

Capt. Kenny Sanders' phone hasn't stopped ringing since Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the "gun-in-church" bill into law July 6.

House Bill 1272, sponsored by Rep. Henry Burns, allows churches or other religious institutions to authorize people with concealed weapons permits and who have passed the required training to bring weapons into houses of worship as part of a security force.

"My phone has rung no less than 20 times a day with inquiries about what does the law actually mean, who can actually carry the weaponry, what type training is required for people to carry the gun," said Sanders, director of the Caddo Sheriff's Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy.

Sanders said many people are under the misconception that just having a concealed handgun permit allows them to carry a gun into a house of worship.

That's just the first step.

Once the permit is obtained, the person must be approved, authorized and announced to the church, plus participate in eight hours of initial tactical training and eight more hours annually.

The sheriff's office began offering security training for church employees about nine months ago, and Sanders estimates about 30 churches have taken advantage of the program so far. ...

Read the rest here.

Gun Control Advocates Make up Facts about Concealed Handgun Laws

From John Lott, writing at Big Government, on the lies of the anti-gunners:

People walking the streets armed with guns must be dangerous, right? The Brady Campaign and the Violence Policy Center keep claiming [1] that even those individuals who have legally obtained permits to carry concealed handguns are extremely dangerous. With millions of Americans already having been issued such permits from the various states, this is an important issue.

The gun control organizations have frequently made these claims in the press. The Associated Press articles by Erik Schelzig [2] and by Jim Abrams [3] have given extensive, uncritical coverage. Members of the gun control organizations have made these claims unchallenged on such places as Fox News [1] and on the Huffington Post [4]. But the gun control advocates inaccurately describe many shooting cases, choosing to ignore that the majority of incidents involve people properly defending themselves.

Over the past three years, the number of active permit holders in the United States has gone from about 5 million [5] to more than 6.2 million today. The numbers issued by the state regulatory agencies show time after time that these permit holders abide by the law.

Take Florida [6], which currently has the most concealed handgun permit holders in the country and is one of the two most populous states with right-to-carry laws. Between Oct. 1, 1987, and May 31 this year, permits had been issued to 1.8 million people. On average, the permits had been held for quite a long time, well over 10 years. For all those individuals across the more than 22 years of legal carry, there were only 167 cases where the permit was revoked for a firearms related violation, or about 0.01 percent of permit holders. While the state doesn’t provide a precise breakdown of the reason for those revocations, the vast majority were apparently for people who accidentally carried their concealed handgun into a gun-free zone, such as an airport or school.

Throughout the past 30 months, beginning January 2008, only three additional permit holders have had their permit revoked for a firearms-related violation. With more than 739,000 active permit holders, that is an annual revocation rate of 0.00017 percent. ...

Read the rest here.

[AZ] Permitless concealed carry, knife preemption laws take effect

Beginning July 29, 2010 Arizona no longer requires a permit to carry a concealed weapon (other than in an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages). Permits are still available for those who wish to carry in restaurants that serve alcohol, and for reciprocity purposes while traveling to other states.

In addition, Arizona's new knife preemption law also takes effect today. This law, similar to the firearms preemption law already in effect, prohibits local governments from regulating knife carry to any extent greater than state law. Any such local regulations and ordinances currently on the books are now null and void.

Read the text of the new Constitutional Carry (permitless concealed carry) law, Ariz. Rev. Stat. 13-3102, here.

From The Arizona Republic:

Today is the day gun-rights advocates have had in their sights for a long time.

Starting today, Arizona residents at least 21 years old can carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

The change is part of a broad weapons law by state Sen. Russell Pearce passed by the state Legislature in April that eases restrictions on concealed carry and stiffens penalties for committing a crime while carrying a concealed weapon.

The law is one of many passed by the state Legislature this past session that go into effect today.

Arizona joins Alaska and Vermont as the only states to allow concealed weapons without a permit. ...

Read the rest here.

[IA] Judge orders Iowa sheriff to complete course on Constitution after concealed-carry denial

From the Hawkeye State:

A federal judge has lambasted an Iowa sheriff for denying a gun permit to an outspoken government watchdog and anti-abortion advocate whom some in the area considered "weird."

It was wrong for Osceola County Sheriff Douglas Weber to deny Paul Dorr of Ocheyedan a permit to carry a concealed weapon three years ago, according to a court ruling issued Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett also ordered Weber to successfully complete a court-approved course on the U.S. Constitution within five months.

"In denying (Dorr) a concealed weapons permit, Sheriff Weber single-handedly hijacked the First Amendment and nullified its freedoms and protections," Bennett wrote in the ruling.

Anger over the sheriff's denial of the gun permit was a factor in inspiring some grass-roots activists to push for changes to Iowa's weapons law. Starting Jan. 1, a new law requires sheriffs to issue gun permits except under a narrow set of circumstances.

Bennett ruled that Weber's denial of Dorr's gun permit in 2007 trampled his free speech rights because the sheriff was retaliating against Dorr for publicly protesting, passing out leaflets and writing letters to newspaper editors on a variety of topics.

"The court finds a tsunami, a maelstrom, an avalanche, of direct uncontroverted evidence in Sheriff Weber's own testimony to conclude beyond all doubt that he unquestionably violated the First Amendment rights of ... Paul Dorr," Bennett wrote in the decision. ...

Read it here.


[via Hotair]

[LA] Gun Control Advocates Decry Louisiana's New Law Allowing Churchgoers to Pack Heat

From the Pelican State:

Gun control supporters are up in arms over Louisiana's new law allowing churchgoers to pack heat along with their Bibles.

Gov. Bobby Jindal gave his blessing this week to churches, synagogues and mosques to allow concealed handguns on their premises, overturning a state ban.

"The governor's position on the Second Amendment is not new," Jindal spokesman Kyle Plotkin said in a written statement to FoxNews.com. "He sides with the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners."

Supporters of the measure say it can be a deterrent against criminal activity in church and will give an option to ministers and pastors to incorporate concealed handguns into their security plans.

Opponents argue it's inappropriate to have concealed handguns in church.

Places of worship that invite concealed guns will have to inform their members of the decision and anyone wishing to carry one will have to take an extra eight hours of tactical training each year – a requirement that doesn't mollify gun opponents. ...

Read the rest here.

[UT] Utah gun permits booming - in other states

From the Beehive State:

Never shot a gun? Never been to Utah? Got a "combat mindset"?

If yes to the above, you could qualify for a concealed gun permit from Utah, which is seeing record demand for permits from people all across the United States who never been to the state and have no intention of ever going.

Bedrock conservatism is enjoying a surge with the rise of the Tea Party movement, which advocates small government, individual rights and has made a strong showing in Utah. The debate may become only hotter after a Monday U.S. Supreme Court ruling extended gun rights to all cities and states. ...

...

A five-year permit good in 33 states has flooded Utah with applications, with the number rising to 74,000 last year. The fee is $65.25. Applicants must also clear a background check, be 21, and take a course.

Today, more out-of-state residents have Utah licenses than state residents, and out-of-state instructors outnumber those from Utah.

Read it here.

[KY] Gun toting 89-year old grandmother gets carry permit

From Kentucky:

[WA] East Wenatchee repeals ordinance banning gun in parks

Washington city repeals park carry ban that violated state preemption law:

EAST WENATCHEE - Guns are now allowed in parks in East Wenatchee - with a few restrictions, that is.

A city ordinance banning guns in parks was amended by the East Wenatchee City Council during Tuesday's council meeting.

The ordinance was changed to allow guns in parks under certain conditions. Those without a concealed-carry permit still may not carry a loaded firearm in a public park. Those without the concealed carry license can carry a firearm only if it is unloaded and in an "opaque case or secure wrapper" or if it is in a designated recreation area for firearms, according to the ordinance. ...

Read the rest here.