As I write this, there are 25 states with Constitutional Carry. As in, no license, permit, CCW, CCL, CWP (Arizona’s initials of choice,) whatever you want to call it, is necessary. I may use any or all of those abbreviations throughout the rest of this.
In other words, in half the country (depending on how you look at it), you don’t need a government permission slip to exercise a right.
Most states, if not all, still issue licenses. Should you get one if you don’t have to?
Table of Contents
Concealed carry history
I got my first license when I lived in Florida. Faithfully carried my M&P Shield everywhere it was legal to do so.
In 2014, I moved to Illinois. I converted my FL license to a non-resident, which was done by going to their web site and giving my new address.
I only lived in IL for a couple years. I did not get license there. Why?
- The training requirement was fairly expensive and I simply didn’t have an extra $400 or so laying around, plus the $120 or so for the actual license.
- The list of restricted places was extensive.
- I lived close enough to walk to work, and my workplace was in a bank building. Which was on the extensive list of restricted places.
In 2016, I moved to Arizona. Since my FL license was still good, I was able to put my gun back on for most of the trip. Once I crossed the Mississippi river, all states I went through honored my FL non-resident CCW.
Then I got to Arizona, which was, and is, a Constitutional Carry state. No license required. I still got one as soon as I could. Why is that?
Note: some of these benefits may not apply to you. I think most are generally applicable, but states don’t really do everything the same, now, do they? So stay informed of how things work in your state.
Reciprocity
Story time. I have family in Florida. I hate to fly, so I drive. It takes a few days, but it’s worth it to me.
The last time I went, I had a problem. I’d let my FL license lapse because I had the AZ one, and the FL non-resident didn’t get me anything the AZ resident one did.
Unfortunately, I’d also not noticed that my AZ license was approaching its expiration date. I got the renewal in before it expired but it took the state six months to issue the renewal. COVID, something, something. Whatever.
Pro tip: know when your license expires and renew as soon as the window opens to do so.
Anyway, I had to drive to FL without a CCW. The procedure was as follows.
- Take the gun off at the border with NM, because they require a license.
- Put the gun back on when you cross into Texas, because they don’t.
- Take the gun back off when crossing into Louisiana; license required.
- Carry the gun in Mississippi.
- Don’t carry the gun in Alabama (all 50 miles of it that I crossed) and Florida.
All of the states I crossed honored my AZ license, so if I’d had it I would have been good the whole trip.
USACarry has a nice interactive map to check things like what permit is honored where. It’s a great start; I also recommend checking the state laws themselves. The last I knew, New Mexico did not allow the carrying of more than one firearm. So if you’re a backup gun kind of person, well, stow it while in NM.
Expedited purchases
While I still have to fill out the ATF 4473, I don’t have to wait for a background check. I show my little card and that is my background check.
It’s hard to overstate how nice that is.
I once found a shotgun I wanted on a pawn shop’s web site. I called to see if they still had it. Told them I could be there in 15 minutes. They said that would be too close to their closing time, and they wouldn’t have time to run the background check. I told them I had a CWP, and they told me to come on down.
A bar, or restaurant serving alcohol.
You cannot carry in one of these in Arizona without the license. Does that make sense to me? Not really, but there it is.
Now, if they have a sign denying entrance with a firearm, then you can’t carry there. Also, even if they don’t have a sign and you can enter with your gun, you can’t actually drink alcohol.
It can get kind of complex, and I’m certain that this is one of those that varies by jurisdiction.
Law enforcement interactions.
There is no particular duty to inform police in my state about the presence of a firearm. I’m pretty likely to do so, however. While AZ police are pretty familiar with interacting with armed individuals, I’d still rather it not be a surprise.
By handing the officer a CCW, you’ve proven several things.
- You’re not a felon.
- You cared enough to get a least the minimal training.
- You have a basic understanding of when you can and cannot use the weapon.
- You’ve told them you probably have a gun without saying that word.
Should the worst happen.
According to these guys, your defense attorney will be very, very happy with you. When talking to a jury, “There is some kind of magic in being able to say that you are a licensed gun owner.”
They have a number of interesting things on their channel, by the way. I’m not affiliated with them; I’ll be amazed if they know I even exist. I am just a subscriber to their channel.
Federal Gun Free School Zones
Without a CCL, you can’t be within 1,000 feet of a school.
There are a number of exceptions: one of them is for a licensed concealed carry holder.
Do you drive by a school at any point? Do you even really notice when you do?
1,000′ is almost 1/5 of a mile, so there could be a school one block over that you don’t even know exists.
Conclusion.
As I said; I have my AZ CWP so I’ve made my choice.
For me, the traveling and purchase expediting are worth it. As is the school zone one. I do wonder how many times that particular law is broken every day all across the country.
If you’re a homebody who doesn’t really make a lot of firearm purchases, maybe it’s different for you.
