Understanding Concealed Carry

Concealed Carry is defined as carrying a weapon such as a handgun in a public place, but concealing that weapon so it is not known that you are carrying it. Weapons that fall under the Concealed Carry controls will require a permit in most states, although all states have different laws. The weapon of choice doesn’t necessarily have to be a handgun however; different types of knives and even pepper spray can be a weapon that will require a permit as well.

Concealed Carry – The Four Categories

There are four different categories in which Concealed Carry can fall under: Unrestricted, Shall-Issue, May-Issue, and No-Issue.

Unrestricted means that no permit is required in order to carry a concealed weapon; currently there are five states with this category policy in place.

Shall-Issue requires a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but the permit is only granted in instances where the individual has completed certain pre-requisites determined by the State.

The third type of category for Concealed Carry is May-Issue; this category is similar to the Shall-Issue, except the pre-requisites in this case are determined typically by local authorities rather than the State. These local authorities are allowed to grant Concealed Carry permits at their own discretion, so the requirements for this category will vary greatly, even from city to city.

Finally, No-Issue is the last category, which is simply no Concealed Carry weapons will be allowed in States with this policy. Only under very special circumstances and on very rare occasions will an individual be allowed to carry a concealed weapon in states with a No-Issue policy.

Concealed Carry – Gun Free Zones

Several states have a way of limited Concealed Carry usage without a No-Issue policy, and they do this with gun free zones. Currently 19 states allow businesses and other public places to have a sign stating that their establishment is a Gun Free Zone, meaning nobody is allowed to bring a weapon on the premises regardless if they have a Concealed Carry permit or not. In some instances, businesses have posted gun free zone signs illegitimately, meaning they did not follow the states guidelines for posting such a sign and therefore individuals are able to bring in concealed weapons with a Concealed Carry permit, but this is typically hard to judge from just seeing the sign.