Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (such as a handgun) in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in close proximity. CCW is often practiced as a means of self-defense. Following the Supreme Court's NYSRPA v. Bruen (2022) decision, all states in the United States were required to allow for concealed carry of a handgun either permitlessly or with a permit, although the difficulty in obtaining a permit varies per jurisdiction.

There is conflicting evidence regarding the effect that concealed carry has on crime rates. A 2020 review by the RAND Corporation concluded there is supportive evidence that shall-issue concealed carry laws, which require states to issue permits to applicants once certain requirements are met, are associated with increased firearm homicides and total homicides. Earlier studies by RAND found that shall-issue concealed carry laws may increase violent crime overall, while there was inconclusive evidence for the effect of shall-issue laws on all individual types of violent crime. A 2004 literature review by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that there is no link between the existence of laws that allow concealed carry and crime rates.

History The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right to "keep and bear arms". Concealed weapons bans were passed in Kentucky and Louisiana in 1813. (In those days open carry of weapons for self-defense was considered acceptable; concealed carry was denounced as the practice of criminals.) By 1859, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, and Ohio had followed suit. By the end of the nineteenth century, similar laws were passed in places such as Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, which protected some gun rights in their state constitutions. Before the mid-1900s, most U.S. states had passed concealed carry laws rather than banning weapons completely. Until the late 1990s, many Southern states were either "No-Issue" or "Restrictive May-Issue". Since then, these states have largely enacted "Shall-Issue" licensing laws, with more than half of the states legalizing "constitutional carry" (unrestricted concealed carry) and the remaining "May-issue" licensing laws being abolished in 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

State laws Permitting policies

Unrestricted jurisdiction: one in which a permit is not required to carry a concealed handgun. All states in this category allow any non-prohibited person to carry regardless of the state of residency. Permit requirement jurisdiction: one in which a permit is required to carry a concealed handgun.

Historically, some states were considered "may-issue" jurisdictions where an applicant was required to provide a proper cause or need to be issued a permit to carry a concealed weapon. However, on June 23, 2022, these laws were found unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.

Regulations differ widely by state, with twenty-seven of the fifty states either currently maintaining a constitutional carry policy or implementing it in the near future. Navigating concealed carry laws across state lines can be complex, as each state has its own statutes regarding permit recognition and restrictions. To assist permit holders, several organizations provide interactive reciprocity maps that summarize which states honor permits from others and detail relevant legal requirements.

The Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act limits where an unlicensed person may carry; carry of a weapon, openly or concealed, within of a school zone is prohibited, with exceptions granted in the federal law to holders of valid state-issued weapons permits (state laws may reassert the illegality of school zone carry by license holders), and under LEOSA to current and honorably retired law enforcement officers (regardless of permit, usually overriding state law).

When in contact with a law enforcement officer, some states require individuals to inform the officer that they are carrying a handgun.

Not all weapons that fall under CCW laws are lethal. For example, in Florida, carrying pepper spray in more than a specified volume (2 oz.) of chemical requires a CCW permit, whereas everyone may legally carry a smaller, “self-defense chemical spray” device hidden on their person without a CCW permit. there have been 21.52 million concealed weapon permits issued in the United States.

Status of concealed carry, by jurisdiction Jurisdiction Unrestricted Permit Required Illegal Non-Resident Permits Available Permit Recognition Age Alabama Yes 18 Alaska Yes 21+ only 21 American Samoa No N/A Arizona Yes 21+ only 21 Arkansas Yes 18 California No21 Colorado Partial (33 states) Resident permits only

21+ only 21 Connecticut No 21 Delaware (Rarely issued) Partial (21 states) 18 District of Columbia Briefly from July 26, 2014 – July 29, 2014; see below for details Dejean, Ashley (October 3, 2017) – "Just Days After Las Vegas, Gun Laws in the Nation’s Capitol Are About to Get Weaker" Mother Jones. Retrieved October 7, 2017. No 21 Florida Yes Resident permits only

21+ only; 18+ if military 21 Georgia Yes 21 (18 with out of state carry permit) Guam Matanane, Sabrina Salas (May 28, 2014) – "Governor Signs 12 Bills, Vetoes 2" Kuam News. Retrieved February 2, 2015. No 21 Hawaii No 21 Idaho For concealed carry by non-military permanent resident aliens Yes 18 Illinois Unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container McCune, Greg (July 9, 2013). "Illinois Is Last State to Allow Concealed Carry of Guns", Reuters. Retrieved July 20, 2013.Jones, Ashby (July 9, 2013). "Illinois Abolishes Ban on Carrying Concealed Weapons", Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 20, 2013.McDermott, Kevin, and Hampel, Paul (July 11, 2013). "Illinois Concealed Carry Now on the Books – But Not Yet in the Holster", St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved July 20, 2013.DeFiglio, Pam (July 9, 2013). "General Assembly Overrides Veto, Legalizing Concealed Carry in Illinois", Patch Media. Retrieved July 20, 2013. Only for residents of Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas and Virginia. Vehicle carry only 21 Indiana Yes Includes foreign countries 18 Iowa (Rarely issued) Yes 21 Kansas For concealed carry between ages 18–20 Yes 18 with permit Kentucky Yes 21 Louisiana Partial (36 states) 21+ only 21 Maine Duty to inform if carrying concealed without a permit For carrying in state/national parks, regular archery hunting during deer season, employees' vehicles on work premises and concealed carry between ages 18–20 Partial (27 states) Resident permits only 18+

Can carry permitless if 21+; 18+ if military 18 with permit Maryland No 21 Massachusetts No 21 Michigan Yes Resident permits only 21 Minnesota Partial (17 states) 18 by court order Mississippi Only if carried in a belt/shoulder holster, sheath, purse, handbag, satchel, other similar bag or briefcase or fully enclosed case when concealed For concealed carry without a belt/shoulder holster, sheath, purse, handbag, satchel, other similar bag or briefcase or fully enclosed. For carrying concealed at any polling place, meeting place of the state legislature or other governing body, school, college, professional athletic event, establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverages, passenger terminal of an airport, federal buildings (under state law), permitted parade/demonstration or courthouse for those with an enhanced firearms permit. Yes 18 Missouri For open carry in localities where restricted Yes 18 Montana Partial (43 states) Can carry permitless 18 Nebraska Partial (35 states + DC) 21+ only 21 Nevada Partial (24 states) 21 New Hampshire Partial (28 states) Resident permits only

Can carry permitless 18* New Jersey No 21 New Mexico Unloaded Partial (23 states) 21+ only 21 New York No 21 New York City Does not recognize any other jurisdictions' permits. Permits may be approved by the city's police commissioner on an individual basis. 21 North Carolina Yes 21 (18 with out of state carry permit) North Dakota Duty to inform if carrying concealed without a permit For open-carry Partial (39 states) Can carry permitless 18 Northern Mariana Islands No N/A Ohio Yes 21 (18 with out of state carry permit) Oklahoma Yes 21 Oregon Only for residents of California, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington. No21 Pennsylvania Partial (29 states)

Resident permits only

21+ only

All permits recognized for vehicle carry 21 Puerto Rico From June 20, 2015, to October 31, 2016. Has reciprocity law, but does not recognize any other state permits 21 Rhode Island Both the local authorities and the Attorney General issue. Vehicle carry only 21 South Carolina Partial (29 states) Resident permits only 21 South Dakota Yes 18 Tennessee For carrying in buildings posted with "concealed firearms by permit only" signs, state/national parks, campgrounds, greenways, and nature trails Yes 18 by court order Texas Partial (43 states) Can carry permitless 18 by court order United States Virgin Islands Has reciprocity law, but does not recognize any other state permits 21 Utah For carrying between ages 18–20 Yes 18 with permit Vermont N/A 16 Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit Firearms Safety Class – Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit. vaguntraining.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-15. Yes 21+ only 21 Washington Any person engaging in a lawful outdoor recreational activity such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, or horseback riding, so long as it is reasonable to assume that they are performing that activity or traveling to or from the activity. Partial (9 states) 21+ only 21 West Virginia For concealed carry between ages 18–20 Partial (35 states) Can carry permitless

21+ only; 18+ if military for both 18 with permit Wisconsin Partial (44 states + DC, PR & VI) 21+ only 21 Wyoming Partial (35 states) Can carry permitless 21 (18 with out of state carry permit) U.S. Military installations No 21 Native American reservations Varies Varies Varies

* Jurisdiction gives no minimum age to conceal carry in law. The age is set at 18 by federal law.

Unrestricted jurisdictions

An unrestricted jurisdiction is one in which a permit is not required to carry a concealed handgun. This is sometimes called constitutional carry. Within the unrestricted category, there exist states that are fully unrestricted, where no permit is required for lawful open or concealed carry, and partially unrestricted, where certain forms of concealed carry may be legal without a permit, while other forms of carry may require a permit.

Some states have a limited form of permitless carry, restricted based on one or more of the following: a person's location, the loaded/unloaded state of the firearm, or the specific persons who may carry without a permit. , these states are Illinois, New Mexico, and Washington. Some states that allow permitless concealed carry and still issue concealed carry permits may impose restrictions on concealed carry for certain places and/or at certain times (e.g., special events, large public gatherings, etc.). In some such situations, those holding a valid concealed carry permit may be exempt from such restrictions.

Permit requirement jurisdictions