This has been a really great month for “constitutional” carry.
All through my childhood and young manhood, getting caught carrying a handgun was either a guaranteed trip to meet the judge or depended on (whether you knew) the cop, variable on the location and sometimes seemingly on the day. I used to be really paranoid about printing – how I would have envied you kids with your micro 9mm you can buy at any gun shop.
And less than 20 years ago when people talked about spreading “Vermont carry,” I laughed. Dream on, I said, it’ll totally go the other way. Pro tip: Never never count on one of Joel’s political predictions coming true. Happily, that includes the pessimistic ones – and in the current climate, that’s the closest thing to an encouraging word I can find.
Yeah, things are looking up but I am still waiting for the Peoples Republic of Michigan to go green on that map. Not going to happen until we get rid of Nessel and Whitmer regime. Both are flaming progressive scum.
In the mid 60’s I would cross the street (where I lived) to the sidewalk by the band room of my high school. There I’d stick out my thumb to hitch hike to the hills east of town, with my dad’s M1 carbine. It was California before it turned into Commiefornia. I was too young to drive, never waited long for a ride.
Here in CO, open carry is legal(except in certain designated places), but concealed carry still requires a permit. I’d love it if concealed carry became law before I have to renew my permit next year.
Looking at that map and the way it represented Kansas is a bit misleading. KS was open carry, why would a bunch of farmers-n-ranchers ‘need’ to conceal carry? Must be up to no-good if you need to hide your gun…or so went the logic.
I did hold a concealed permit here in Floriduh. Until it came time for renewal. Got a hair up my ass and refused to pay the tax ! On something which is guaranteed in the constitution.
I really do wish they’d hurry up and pass constitutional carry here !
@Judy Wisconsin was the same, open carry has been legal there since before the start of that map.
I’d love to see a map like that that goes back far enough to show when the laws started that made carry illegal, I don’t have time to do that sort of research though.
I’m glad Texas finally got around to Constitutional carry, tho surprised it took as long as it did, with the popular myths about us around the world. (No, I didn’t ride a horse to school; no, I don’t have an oil well in my back yard.) There’s still more than a few signs in businesses that prohibit open carry, as well as a few who think they can totally ban concealed carry, just by slapping up a sign citing the exact codes. Still a little sad that bars aren’t hanging up signs asking, “Please check your gun belt at the door!”
I lived several years in the Texas panhandle. Law back then was that open carry was legal and concealed carry was illegal with no chance for permits unless you were a friend/contributor to the sheriff. (And no, that’s not hyperbole.) Nobody open carried in public because that would almost certainly lay you open to another charge like creating a public nuisance. Anybody who wanted to conceal carry did so casually, because the cops genuinely didn’t give a damn: this was the frickin’ Texas panhandle. Guns were everywhere, and they wouldn’t bug you about them as long as you weren’t being an asshole with yours.
But the big cities down south were completely different, as I learned to my horror that one time I changed planes at DFW.