Nine states have proposed or taken steps to pass legislation that would ease regulations around a citizen’s ability to carry a concealed firearm.
Legislators in Utah, Tennessee, Montana, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Indiana, Alabama, and Georgia have put forth bills that would allow residents to carry a handgun without the burden of applying for a permit, a process that often includes training, fingerprinting, and a series of fees.
On Friday, the Utah House Judiciary Committee passed an ordinance allowing any resident over the age of 21 to carry a firearm without a permit. The bill is set to be scheduled for a state House vote, and if it passes, Utah will join 15 other states that allow permitless carry, often referred to as constitutional carry.
“I have that right to protect myself. The Constitution says we have the right. Why are we putting a barrier for law-abiding citizens?” Utah state Rep. Walt Brooks, who sponsored the bill, said.
Utah’s move follows a nearly identical bill in Montana that recently passed the state House. The legislation, which also includes a provision to allow students and teachers to carry firearms on college campuses, reached the state Senate last week.
“Anywhere a criminal has the ability to be armed, I think a law-abiding citizen should have the right to be armed,” Rep. Seth Berglee, who sponsored the bill, said during discourse with opponents.
The loosened gun regulations are good news for pro-Second Amendment groups like the Gun Owners of America, which referred to Montana’s move as a referendum on the state’s “unreasonable and unconstitutional exceptions” to its right to bear arms. Gun control groups don’t share the enthusiasm.
“It is dangerous to allow people to carry hidden, loaded handguns possibly without a background check or any training,” Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts said.
The easing of concealed carry laws comes after a record gun buying surge spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide unrest resulting from the death of George Floyd. The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System recorded about 3,937,000 background checks in December 2020, the largest number in recorded history, dwarfing previous highs in both March and June.
