(FiveNation.com)- Concealed carry permits are no longer required in half of the states in the US now that Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, and Ohio passed laws in 2022 making them Constitutional Carry States.
In late December, Alabama became the 25th state to enforce its permitless carry law while Indiana, Georgia, and Ohio already passed laws in 2022 allowing residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
For decades, Vermont was the only state in the nation that allowed residents to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
In 2011, Wyoming became the second state to ease restrictions on concealed carry laws.
In the last twelve years, 23 other states have moved to permitless carry. And ten of them, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah went to permitless carry in the last three years.
In a statement after making Alabama the 25th Constitutional Carry State, Republican Governor Kay Ivey said while other states “are doing everything in their power to make it harder for law-abiding citizens,” Alabama reaffirmed its commitment to defend the Second Amendment rights of its residents.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed Georgia’s concealed carry law in April 2022, repealing the law that required residents to obtain a license and undergo a fingerprint background check.
Kemp said at the time that law-abiding Georgia residents should be able to protect themselves “without having to ask permission” from the state.
In March, Republican Governor Eric Holcomb signed Indiana’s concealed carry law removing the requirement for gun owners to receive a permit to legally carry, conceal, or transport a handgun in Indiana. The Indiana law blocks concealed carry for those who were already prohibited by federal or state laws from possessing a firearm.
In December, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he expected the legislature would present him with a Constitutional Carry bill in 2023, telling the Tampa Bay Times that this is something he “always supported.”
