Wisconsin CCW within sight
Fox News reports that Friday, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker signed Wisconsin’s Carry Concealed Weapon bill making it law in three months leaving the state of Illinois the only state in the union with no semblance of some sort of CCW permits for law abiding citizens. Still States like New York and Maryland make it impossible for most citizens to carry weapons to protect themselves.
Reading the article, i was surprised to learn that Maryland only requires CCW permit applicants to view a thirty-minute video on line to certify their training. Here in West Virginia, I had to attend an eight hour class and actually shoot a weapon, but in Maryland, they get to sit through a little webinar. And when I drive across the Potomac, my permit is no longer valid until I drive 12 miles and into Pennsylvania.
Of course, in Maryland, lawyers and doctors automatically qualify for application by virtue of their professions. I wonder who wrote that into the law?
Us regular slobs have to prove with a police report that our lives are in danger. One poor slob was denied renewal of his permit last year when the guy who threatened his life was imprisoned.
Now, I’m all for CCW permits, but a permit that only requires viewing a video is just begging for trouble…which may be the impetus behind the poorly-considered inadequate training. I urge Wisconsin lawmakers to not make the same mistake as Maryland and require real hands-on weapon safety classes. The whole purpose of CCW is to make society safer, not have a bunch of half-wit lawyers walking around with guns and itchy trigger fingers.
Category: Guns
In Iowa, a DD214 gets you a CCW with no additional training. I’m still on the fence about whether or not I think that’s a good idea.
Frankly, I’m still stunned by two aspects of CCW laws:
1–Why, if a state has CCW, it isn’t “shall issue” versus “may issue” (read: no way unless you’re politically connected.)
2–Why states haven’t adopted some sort of standard so that reciprocity is not an issue; if I’m a NH CCW, why isn’t my resident CCW permit good in every other “shall issue” state at the very least? Gun safety course, shooting on the range for quals and verify you can in fact safely handle a weapon, and police background check should be a bare minimum. Waivers MIGHT be considered for military veterans.
Scott–that’s pretty much all it was with me in NH–that and the background check. Again, if you’ve served, you’ve got a much better than average chance of having handled a weapon with some proficiency, but I wouldn’t object in the slightest to attending a course and spending some time on the range.
Sparky, quite a few states have reciprocity agreements in place…where you run into problems is the standards you mention. In a state like Vermont, you have no “standard” since there is no restriction on carrying concealed, so entering into a reciprocity agreement is tricky there. Conversely, there are some states (like Georgia) that have no requirement whatsoever for issuing the permit, beyond the basic “are you a felon, are you nuts, are you a traitor, can you pass a background check”. In states like that, you pay your $50, submit your paperwork and within a few weeks, you get your laminated carry permit. In states that have higher hurdles to clear, they’re not going to enter into reciprocity with Georgia unless the state raises it’s standards…something that the locals here are not inclined to agree with just for the sake of me being able to leave the state and carry concealed from sea to shining sea.
I wish they would make the ccw laws the same everywhere. There is no way in hell that I’m ever going to be able to get my ccw permit in LA county unless I’m a cop, it’s bs.
In Virginia if you turn in a copy of your DD214 with your CCW application that covers the training clause. Otherwise, the state requires some type of firearms training and proof of proficiency. I took my ex-wife to a firearms course that gave her approximately 5 hours desk and range instruction for a nominal fee. When I received my CCW back in the 90s I included a copy of my DD214 plus certificate the sheriff provided for a 2 hour course that his department was offering for free.
Virginia has reciprocity with other about 27 other states.
http://apps.carryconcealed.net/legal/virginia-ccw-state-laws.php
$50 for five years and also have open carry allowed. Got my CCW after a state trooper wrote a buddy up for having a handgun laying on the passenger seat but in a pistol blanket.
I live in Utah ehre the CCW is good in at least 18 other states. I have been a CCW holder since 1998. My only complaint is that so many businesses have the no carry rule anyway. My employer has a strict no firearms on campus rule as does my church. Numerous other businesses have the same. This makes it difficult to the point that I almost never actually carry anymore.
In Georgia, if I get caught carrying in a business that’s posted as not allowing concealed weapons, the worst I get is a misdemeanor trespassing charge, assuming I don’t leave when asked. I’ll chance getting caught before I go unarmed.
To clarify, I’d also stop shopping anywhere that seeks to disarm me. This is why I don’t go to Tuesday Morning, American Signature Furniture or Earth Fare (among others)…they don’t need my money.
WA state is a “shall issue to any with a pulse” state. $55 and some change and a few weeks gets you a permit. I’m not complaining exactly, since I trust me with a pistol, but it would be nice if the bar was a little bit higher for reciprocity purposes. I’ve seen ads in the local sporting goods stores and gun clubs for classes to get a Utah permit (for example), which has reciprocity with many other states (as mentioned above).
“The whole purpose of CCW is to make society safer, not have a bunch of half-wit lawyers walking around with guns and itchy trigger fingers.”
Most lawyers being of the ACLU and SPLC class, who sez they’d want to be even seen NEAR a gun, much less carry one?