Sunday, June 28, 2009
Currently, 48 states allow some form of concealed weapons permit. Alaska and Vermont do not issue a permit, you must only meet their requirements. Some of these 48 states are Shall Issue which means that if you meet their requirements, then they will issue you a conceal carry permit. Other states are May Issue which means they have discretion over who gets a license even if you meet their requirements.
Once you have obtained your permit, there are several types of handguns you are allowed to carry. You must make sure that it is completely concealed. This includes making sure that it cannot be seen through lightweight/sheer clothing.
This is a freedom that we must not lose, or take lightly. Anyone keeping a weapon in their home needs to understand their responsibility for the safety of everyone who enters their home. Carrying a concealed weapon is meant to protect lives not destroy them in a careless accident. Please keep these statistics in mind before deciding where to store your handgun.
FACT: Despite popular belief, young children do possess the physical strength to fire a gun: 25% of 3-to-4-year-olds, 70% of 5-to-6-year-olds, and 90% of 7-to-8-year-olds can fire most handguns.
(Naureckas, SM, Christoffel, KK, et al. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 1995.)
FACT: 59% of students in grades six through twelve know where to get a gun if they want one, and two thirds of these students say they can acquire a firearm within 24 hours.
(Harvard School of Public Health.)
FACT: Comparison of U.S. gun homicides to other industrialized countries:
In 2004 (the most recent year for which this data has been compiled), handguns murdered:
5 people in New Zealand
37 people in Sweden
56 people in Australia
184 people in Canada
19 people in Japan
73 people in the UK
11,344 people in the United States
- Provided by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
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