Right-to-Carry Laws

* Right-to-carry laws permit individuals who meet certain "minimally restrictive" criteria (such as completion of a background check and gun safety course) to carry concealed firearms in most public places.[95] Concealed carry holders must also meet the minimum federal requirements for gun ownership asdetailed above.

* Each state has its own laws regarding right-to-carry and generally falls into one of three main categories:

1) "shall-issue" states, where concealed carry permits are issued to all qualified applicants

2) "may-issue" states, where applicants must often present a reason for carrying a firearm to an issuing authority, who then decides based on his or her discretion whether the applicant will receive a permit

3) "no-issue" states, where concealed carry is generally forbidden

* As of January 2012:

• 40 states are shall-issue:

Alaska	Arizona	Arkansas	Colorado
Florida	Georgia	Idaho	Indiana
Iowa	Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana
Maine	Michigan	Minnesota	Mississippi
Missouri	Montana	Nebraska	Nevada
New Hampshire	New Mexico	North Carolina	North Dakota
Ohio	Oklahoma	Oregon	Pennsylvania
Rhode Island	South Carolina	South Dakota	Tennessee
Texas	Utah	Vermont	Virginia
Washington	West Virginia	Wisconsin	Wyoming

[96]

NOTE: Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming allow lawful firearm owners to carry concealed firearms without a permit. All other shall-issue states require firearm owners to obtain a permit to carry concealed firearms.[97]

• 9 states are may-issue:

Alabama	California	Connecticut	Delaware
Hawaii	Maryland	Massachusetts	New Jersey
New York

[99]

NOTE: May-issue states vary significantly in the implementation of their laws. Some, such as Connecticut,[100] act effectively as shall-issue states, while others, such as New Jersey, act effectively as no-issue states.[101]

• 1 state is no-issue: Illinois [102]

* Click here to see why the following commonly cited statistic does not meet Just Facts' Standards of Credibility: In right-to-carry states, the violent crime rate is 24% lower than the rest of the U.S., the murder rate is 28% lower, and the robbery rate is 50% lower.