Right-to-carry laws require law enforcement agencies to issue permits to all qualified applicants. For instance, Vermont, where a citizen has the right to carry a firearm without permits, has a very low rate of violent crime.Ĭonstitutionally, the United States Constitution second and fourteenth amendments provide for the right to keep and carry arms. Some studies have shown that laws permitting concealed weapons have resulted in a reduction of murder and other violent crime by about 10 percent. Some States have “shall issue” laws which provide permits to qualified individuals with little discretion.Ī number of studies indicate that in states which adopted “shall issue” laws, the rate of injury and murder dropped to a considerable extent. However, some state laws provide that licenses (permits) shall allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms to protect themselves when traveling. Many states impose restrictions on the right to carry certain firearms due to the inherent danger of the weapons, coupled with the high probability of criminals using the firearms against the victims. In some states, the “long guns” may even be loaded while transported. Local laws should also be determined by the reader and our article on Criminal Law also reviewed.Īll states allow person to have rifles, shotguns and other similar weapons which are not concealed weapons and to move about with those weapons freely as long as they are not loaded while carried in some locales. This article shall briefly discuss the laws that exist concerning firearms and the penalties possible if the laws are violated in California. This is not true for all states and in some locales concealed weapons are not only allowed but encouraged on the theory that criminals will hesitate long and hard before attacking civilians who may have weapons concealed on their persons. Thus, fully automatic (machine) guns and explosive ammunition (dum-dum bullets) are routinely banned and concealed weapons are often prohibited in urban areas unless the carrier has obtained a license. Nevertheless, they can pass what are considered “reasonable” restrictions on the types of guns that can be in the possession of persons in various places. Due to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution protecting the right to bear arms (however it is interpreted by Congress) outright bans on all firearms cannot be passed by either the Federal government or any State or local government. While attention has been focused on the United State Congress while it grapples with federal law pertaining to firearms, most laws concerning control of firearms stem from State and local authorities.
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