Gary Slider of handgunlaw.us sends these updates to state laws:
South Dakota – Effective July 1, 2015 HB1215 expands South Dakota’s CCW Law with an enhanced carry permit. This permit is just the same as the regular permit South Dakota issues but will require fingerprints, training and a NICS Check. Cost is the same as the regular permit, but the applicant must pay for the additional costs of fingerprints etc. South Dakota is doing this . . .
for reciprocity purposes. The enhanced permit will most likely be honored by more states which give the residents of South Dakota a choice. South Dakota will also consider a spouse of a service member whose home of record is South Dakota as a resident of the state and they can apply for a South Dakota permit when living out of state.
Georgia – Effective July 1 polling places will only be off limits to concealed carry while an election is being held. (From my understanding some buildings used as polling places were off limits all the time and not just during elections.) Georgia amended their laws on off limits places. Their law used to specify that “all government buildings” were off prohibited. It will change to “(1) In a government building as a nonlicense holder.” Georgia’s definition of a government building is:
(2) ‘Government building’ means:
(A) The building in which a government entity is housed;
(B) The building where a government entity meets in its official capacity; provided, however, that if such building is not a publicly owned building, such building shall be considered a government building for the purposes of this Code section only during the time such government entity is meeting at such building; or
(C) The portion of any building that is not a publicly owned building that is occupied by a government entity. (At this time I am not sure how this is going to work if they have security at a government building. Check your firearm or be able to pass through? Also it could be off limits if it was a polling place during voting in an election).
Maryland – Effective October 1, 2015, concealed carry is expanded to a person who has retired as a law enforcement officer in good standing from a law enforcement agency of the United States, the state, or a local unit in the state who is a parent, guardian, or visitor of a student attending a school located on the public school property, provided that: the officer or retired officer is displaying the officer’s or retired officer’s badge or credential; and the weapon carried or possessed by the officer or retired officer is concealed; and the officer or retired officer is authorized to carry a concealed handgun in the state. This doesn’t mean anything to us concealed carry holders, but it’s a start and this is the state of Maryland. Let’s Hope!
Florida – The Florida governor signed SB290 which, effective immediately, allows for permitless carry by those who can legally own a firearm during a “mandatory evacuation ordered during a declare emergency.” The mandatory evacuation can come from the governor or a local authority. It just covers the movement away from the area and is in effect for 48 hours. The governor can extend that time period. You can read the bill here.
Washington DC – The U.S. District Court issued a preliminary injunction to stop DC from their “good cause” requirement to obtain a DC permit to carry. There is another hearing scheduled for July 7 to “discuss an expedited schedule for the resolution of this case.” The DC Chief of Police stated they would no longer apply good cause criteria to applicants with this preliminary injunction in place and have also not made a decision on appealing the ruling. Handgunlaw.us sees nothing different happening in DC on issuing until after the July hearing.
Minnesota – Effective Date August 1, 2015 Authority to seize and confiscate firearms is not allowed during declared states of emergency. Reciprocity wording changed from “substantially similar” to “similar.” This should gain Minnesota more reciprocity with more states. Having a concealed carry permit will imply that notification has been given to the commissioner of public safety when entering the capitol complex. The bill is long as these changes were amended into a spending bill.
Changes in the above laws will be added to their respective state pages at www.handgunlaw.us On their effective date.
I really don’t see how giving cops the power to carry is a step in the right direction in MD. That just reinforces the only ones belief they’ve been pushing.
As I suggested before regarding NY, maybe a freedom-loving sheriff in Western MD can deputize everyone for a day, then retire them.
Would that be before or after riding off on his unicorn?
Why are cops the only ones permitted to own unicorns anyways? I never understood that.
Don’t be a Debbie Downer. There was a small town in Michigan that did that. I don’t remember the exact numbers but it was a town of like 250 people and 116 of them were considered constables and able to get the LEO speacial ccw.
Sometimes you have to work around the law. If the legislators won’t write and pass reasonable laws, and you are a police chief or sheriff who has the authority, make it so.
BRILLIANT! I live in upstate NY and boy that would be a great way to bypass NY unSAFE and others…my county sheriff is pretty pro 2A…wonder if I could convince him! 😉
Meanwhile in Texas we are holding our collective breath as our clown car legislature re-votes on the revised version of the revised revision which was revised, yet again.
I took a breath awhile ago.
Me too. I still believe that this will all fail, again.
Maryland: some animals are more equal than others. This law just makes some animals even more equaler than others.
“Maryland”. “Maryland”.
.
Oh. You mean “Merryland”. I think you mispelled it, but that’s okay. I understand what you meant.
.
Or maybe “Beasts of Maryland”?
SB290 also did away with a CWP being just a affirmative defense.
Bump.
So one can OC while voting, just not CC, or is the summary wrong?
No, because in GA, you need a CCW to open carry. So you can choose to OC or CC but the permit is the same so the summary above Is referring to the permit rather than the method of carry.
I went and looked at the actual website and it doesn’t mention “concealed carry.” It states that all guns are prohibited during polling, but legal otherwise. Whoever added the words “concealed carry” above confused the situation of Georgia amending their laws on places off limits.
It is still a true statement, but I see where the door was left open to speculate. I didn’t read that much into it knowing that it was paraphrasing the actual law.
I understand, but it makes a difference. Open Carry during polling is a widespread thing and many people do it as a political statement. This is especially true while voting. In Michigan, you are allowed to OC while voting in a school, but prohibited from CCing while voting in a school.
It is all a big mess of compromise. I thought that “shall not be infringed” meant just that.
Michael, in the spirit of this thread, “preach it, brother!”
Yeah, it would’ve been better to write, “carrying a weapon” rather than “concealed carry” in the part about polling places.
The picture above made me laugh, I thought she was some General or Admiral, turns out she’s just the police chief of DC who apparently doesn’t know or care much about the Constitution.
4 stars, and one helluva “salad bar”. DC must be a perpetual conflict zone.
Any account of what “campaigns” she was in to get them?
Is it possible that the DC police can wear ribbons from previous service in the military on their police dress uniforms?
Otherwise it just seems odd. YMMV
Some PD’s may allow service ribbons to be worn (why, I don’t know!) but many departments just “re-purpose” service ribbons for their own use. This came out during the George Zimmerman trial when a cop was wearing all sorts of service ribbons that she likely would not have rated during her reported three years in the Army. When people complained and it was investigated, the department explained that they just went down to the local Army-Navy store and bought DoD ribbons and gave them out. They said that they didn’t think people would notice.
Cathy Lanier doesn’t strike me as the caliber of person who would serve her country in the military.
That is Cathy “Super Twunt” Lanier. When they had 3 days of reciprocity in D.C. before the Bolshevik city council shut it down she wet her pants and desperately told her cops not to stop concealed carriers.
Ray
She just got slapped down again by a judge for her “approval methods” on “probably not issue” of ccw licenses in D.C. She was basically the final word on if someone didn’t get approved.
Meanwhile in Maine…
LD652 (Constitutional Carry) is scheduled to go before the republican controlled state senate.
Matt,
If you happen to know any of your state legislators in Maine,
perhaps you could suggest to them that they pass CC reciprocity with their neighbor, New Hampshire.
We share a border and we’re largely peaceable folks.
Let them know it stops me, and I’m sure others, from vacationing and spending my money there there.
Thanks.
It’s definitely being worked on. There are a number of bills surrounding that subject and it’s more about how it gets done than if it gets done.
This site is very good for feeling ‘pulse’ of Carry laws across US. Mostly intelligent reports & comments. Cited on my public FB and Twitter pages. Internal Linkedin private messages.
Keep up the good work!
So, Rick Scott won’t allow law enforcement to confiscate your guns for a 48 hour period as you are escaping a hurricane, but after that, they can confiscate your guns? This is how gutless politicians sit on the fence and have it both ways. Weak! This just maintains the false narrative that the police are the only people who should be trusted with carrying firearms, under any/all conditions. The governor can, at his discretion, extend that past 48 hours. Gee, thanks.
You’re mixing separate bills, from separate states, together. 😉
Like the idea of the “Enhanced Concealed Weapon Permit” and I would like to see that in my state of WA. Additional training, safety and proficiency requirement BUT this type of permit should also come with many more benefits to the permit holder. Otherwise, no incentive to get it. Possible benefits: Can carry in places that regular holders are not allowed to. Penalties reduced or eliminated for accidental carry in prohibited places. Ability to legally carry a concealed knife, baton or other weapon in addition to a firearm (thus the name). That would be for starters. Pretty sure I could come up with a few more. The idea would be to reward those that want to get the extra training over and above the standard permit requirements. Which, BTW, are none at this point other than fingerprints and a background check. Another benefit would likely be more reciprocity with the states that have more stringent requirements for concealed carry permits. Also the enhanced permit should actually have the person’s picture on it instead of using your driver’s license with the permit to show your picture, which is ridiculous IMO. The classes and live shooting test should be given by private instructors and ranges that meet the state requirements. State would stay out the actual training except for the certifications (of trainers and facilities) and periodic audits.
How ’bout: “. . . the Right of THE PEOPLE to keep and bear arms shall NOT BE INFRINGED.”
.
That about covers it all, doesn’t it?
.
“concealed carry is expanded to a person who has retired as a law enforcement officer in good standing from a law enforcement agency of the United States”
A step in the right direction, eh?
Constitutional Carry for Lon Tomohisa Horiuchi this year, the rest of us peons in another 10, 20, 200 years?
Somewhat off topic but does anybody know if it is law to inform an officer if your are carrying a weapon or have one in your car if pulled over in AZ?
Arizona is not a “must inform” state.
http://handgunlaw.us/states/arizona.pdf
A clarification on Georgia:
Effective 1 July 2014, Georgia Weapon Carry License holders were allowed to carry in government buildings (see 16-11-127.e.1 “A license holder shall be authorized to carry a weapon in a government building when the government building is open for business and where ingress into such building is not restricted or screened by security personnel. …”). 16-11-127.b declares 16-11-127.d and .e and 16-11-127.1 to be exceptions but it appears that they are just adding “as a nonlicense holder” to 16-11-127.b.1 to reemphasize the exemption.
Here’s an up-to-date copy of the weapons laws in Georgia: http://www.georgiapacking.org/GaCode/?title=16&chapter=11§ion=127
Progress at a snail’s pace. Most of the northeast states are legal “handgun free” zones. BTW: I just love attractive “four-star generals,” Oh wait, she’s only a chief of police? I guess five stars would have been a might excessive and a single-star rank would have been demeaning. And all of that “fruit salad.” How many campaigns did she serve in? One of the awards must have been for the local donut-eating contest. Are these cops really sane?
To whomever put that ring on her finger: your man card has been revoked…
I bet Dirk would hit that! A guy could do a lot worse. That was actually one of her better looking pictures.