Concealed carry in the United States

A concealed carry is the right to carry a handgun in public in a concealed manner. In the United States, even as the number of states adopting legislation permitting this has grown, it has met with opposition. Over 35 US states permit adults who have applied, have no criminal record, and meet training requirements to carry 1 or more handguns in a concealed manner. Two states (Vermont and Alaska) allow any non-criminal over 21 to carry without a permit of any kind.

Carrying a weapon is an enormous responsibility. Training courses spend a considerable amount of time discussing the many aspects of liability should one actually use a handgun, even to defend oneself. Although state laws vary, almost any use that is allowed is solely as a last resort, when one fears that life is in danger, when escape or retreat are not an option, and warnings are given and ignored.

This liability is particularly present if the wearer brandishes the weapon, threatens to use a weapon, worsens a troubled situation (instead of calming it or simply leaving), or is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Any criminal sanction for use of firearms can apply to the permit-holder as well as to the professional criminal.

Why carry?

There are a variety of motivations people have for seeking a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Historically, judges have often allowed applicants who could prove they had a threatening job to have a permit to carry (including judges themselves, bailiffs, and security guards).

Those who could prove they were personally threatened were also often given permission to carry, such as a spouse threatened by their mate, notable or famous persons, and people who received death threats.

These historical grants of permission rarely included a training requirement.

More recently, with the growth of the concealed carry movement, many more people have sought a permit that would allow them to be armed in public. This could be for:

• People who travel through high crime areas routinely
• Families who camp and fish in remote areas (including bear country)
• Women who feel safer as a trained handgun user
• People who work in remote areas or late at night
• People who own or work at businesses where defensive handguns are kept and meant to be used by employees when threatened
• People who enjoy various shooting sports and need to transport weapons for their sport
• People who want the training in order to protect their business or property

FBI Uniform Crime Report(1992) shows that 70% of violent crimes are committed by 7% of criminals, many of whom are on probation or are given parole and released early. Of incarcerated felons surveyed by the Department of Justice, 34% have been driven away, wounded, or captured by armed citizens; 40% state that they have decided against committing crimes for fear their would-be victims were armed.

The FBI's statistics also concluded: "Violent crime rates are highest overall in states with laws limiting or prohibiting the carrying of concealed firearms for self-defense."

States offer selective reciprocity in this area. That is, a permit-holder in one state may be able to carry or transport a weapon in other states with a reciprocity agreement with the home state. Reciprocity does impose on the permit-holder the responsibility for knowing and understanding the differences in the laws between the states.

Who carries?

Statistics published by the various states give some indication of who and how many people acquire permits to carry concealed weapons. Some recent indicative statistics:

• Permit-holders are predominantly male

85% vs. 15% female in Florida, October, 2004

• The number of permit-holders is growing

Michigan for example reports 30,000 applications July 2003-June 2004; other states vary but this is representative

• The number of permit-holders is significant

Florida has issued over 800,000 permits since adopting the law, and has 289,644 permit holders as of October, 2004 State Police Reports show similar numbers: New York 530,000 (1997), Pennsylvania 575,000 (1998), Texas 235,000 (1999).

• Distribution by age is generally proportionate to the adult population

Florida reports 26% are in the 21-35 age group, 36% are 36-50, 27% are 51-65, and 11% over age 66.

• The number of revocations of permits is very small.

North Carolina reports .2% of their 263,102 holders had their permits revoked in the 10 years since they have adopted the law. Revocation is for any reason (such as DWI conviction) that may or may not involve a shooting incident or even being armed when the infraction occurred.

Of the 14,000 licensees in Oregon, they report only 4 (0.03%) were convicted of the criminal (not necessarily violent) use or possession of a firearm.

Methods of carry

Although some states do not explicitly require concealment, most do, and most permit-holders want to conceal their weapon, if only to avoid inadvertently causing people to make "person with a gun" calls to the police.

Concealment is usually achieved by a combination of a medium or small revolver or automatic pistol, a good holster for the purpose, and sometimes a covering garment. All of these are adapted from police experience.

Popular holsters are:

• Inside the waistband (IWB) holsters, which clip or mount to a man's belt and allow one to securely holster the weapon inside the pants.
• Outside the waistband (OWB) or belt holster, which can be worn relatively high and close to the body, slightly behind the hip bone ("4:00 position"), and is easily concealed under a sweatshirt or jacket.
• "Belly band" holster, which is a comfortable, wide elastic belt with a built-in holster, to be worn under a shirt that is not tucked in, to facilitate access. There are various types, worn at the belt line or higher, with the gun placement anywhere from in front to under the armpit.
• Pocket holsters, for use with very small weapons, usually a back-up gun.

Others have used built-in holsters in day planners or executive briefcases, made specifically for the purpose. There are even specialized lines of clothing featuring built-in holsters or aiding coverage of a regular holster. Women can buy purses with a special access holster that allows her to reach the weapon without opening the purse.

Preferred weapons for concealed carry

There is such a wide variety of candidates to consider for concealed carry, it is impossible to generalize about a single "best" weapon. Most experts say the criteria for choice should be:

• Reliability: The chief issue here is reliability in the hands of the user. Thus ones' familiarity and training experience with handguns might mean a 5- or 6-shot revolver is an excellent choice. A more experienced handgunner might prefer a 9- or 10-shot semi-automatic pistol, which offers more shots but more complex controls as well.

• Safety: The weapon should have modern features to prevent accidental discharge, and have clear safety devices that require an actual trigger pull to make the gun discharge. These can include a squeeze safety in the backstrap, trigger safety, built in lock, magazine disconnector, loaded chamber indicator, and decocking lever.

• Fit to the individual's hand, strength, and body size: For example, a 110-lb woman will not be able to use a high-recoil weapon and will not be able to easily conceal a large weapon.

• Sufficient power: While James Bond preferred a Walther PPK in .32 caliber, most experts today say a 9mm pistol should be the minimal caliber of choice for personal protection. It is inexpensive (important to encourage regular practice), widely available, generates controllable recoil, and is fed reliably by most auto-loading pistols. Power is important: those about to use a weapon as a last chance of defense want the power to be sufficient to stop the threat. Police and military experience shows the 9mm caliber to be reliable in that regard.

Other popular calibers, in increasing power order are .38SPL, .40S&W, .357SIG, and .45ACP.

Concealed Carry issues of interest

• Specific state laws regarding concealed carry
• Gun control legislation and trends
• Shooting sports, reloading, and other hobby topics
• Pistol training
• Carry methods and tactics
• Concealed carry liability issues
• Shooting clubs and ranges
• Home and personal safety

Training

Most states impose a training requirement that must be completed successfully in order to receive a permit. These usually can be completed in 1-2 days, and almost all have both a classroom and a range component. Classroom topics typically include: firearm mechanics and terminology, concealed carry legislation and limitations, liability issues, carry methods and safety, home defense, and practice methods. At the range, students will practice shooting to a target from a standing position, and may practice shooting from cover. Most require a certain proficiency to receive a passing grade.

For Further Information

• For concealed carry laws, applications, and information by state: http://www.packing.org
• For shooting sports information: National Shooting Sports Federation, http://www.nssf.org
• For training and instruction: National Rifle Association, http://www.nra.org
• For defensive shooting training and competition: International Defensive Pistol Association, http://www.idpa.com

Categories

• Firearms
• Firearm laws
• Gun politics