http://www.reason.com/0312/ci.js.carry.shtml
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December 2003

Carry On Concealed weapon laws
Jacob Sullum

The number of states that allow law-abiding citizens to
carry concealed firearms hit 36 in September, up from 10 in
1986. The three-dozen mark was reached after Missouri?s
legislature voted to override Gov. Bob Holden?s veto of a
right-to-carry bill.

Missouri?s old law gave county sheriffs the discretion to
deny a permit to any applicant they believed was “a danger
to himself or others.” Under the new law, which took effect
in October, residents who are at least 23 years old and who
take an eight-hour gun safety course can obtain a concealed
carry permit provided they do not have disqualifying
characteristics such as a dishonorable discharge, a felony
record, or a recent conviction for a violent misdemeanor.

Thirty-one other states have such “shall issue” laws, which
require that a permit be given to anyone who meets a set of
uniform, specific criteria. Two states, Alabama and
Connecticut, have discretionary permit policies that the
National Rifle Association deems “fair,” and two others,
Vermont and Alaska, do not require permits at all. Alaska,
which used to have a “shall issue” law, changed to the more
permissive approach in June.

Other recent signs that a right to carry guns for
self-defense is gaining widespread recognition:

? In July the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the state?s
130-year-old ban on concealed carry violates a 1998
amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing “the right
to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting,
recreation or any other lawful purpose.” (By contrast, the
Ohio Supreme Court upheld that state?s 144-year-old ban in a
September 24 ruling that overturned a 2002 state appeals
court decision.)

? In May a Colorado “shall issue” law took effect, requiring
that a concealed carry permit be granted to “any competent
person over 21″ who is properly trained and passes a
criminal background check.

? In April, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a similar
“shall issue” law.

Gun control critics such as John Lott, a resident scholar at
the American Enterprise Institute, argue that right-to-carry
laws have had a measurable impact on crime by making
predators think twice about targeting victims who may be
armed. (See “Cold Comfort,” January 2000.) While those
findings remain controversial, the proliferation of “shall
issue” laws has forced anti-gun activists to concede that
they were wrong to predict that letting people carry guns
would lead to Wild West-style violence.

“My conclusion, looking at crime rates and concealed carry
permits, is that it doesn?t have any effect on crime,” Jim
Kessler of Americans for Gun Safety told The Washington
Times in August. “It doesn?t add to crime either. It?s
basically a wash.”