Francisco G. sent in a link to some maps that show the adoption of laws that allow people to carry concealed weapons.
Green indicates there were no restrictions on carrying a concealed weapon. Blue means state law required that anyone who passes a background check and gun safety course must be issued a concealed weapon permit if they request one. Yellow states may allow concealed weapon permits, but residents don’t automatically get one after a background check and safety course. And states colored in red do not allow concealed carrying of weapons.
We see a very clear trend. In the mid-80s, the vast majority of states either didn’t provide permits for concealed weapons or didn’t automatically allow them to anyone who got a general gun permit:
By 1993 a number of states passed more permissive concealed-carry laws:
We see a huge jump between 1993 and 1996 in the number of states that grant anyone who passes a background check and safety class a concealed-carry permit:
Today, the vast majority of states have permissive concealed-carry permits:
Arizona recently became an “unrestricted” state, meaning that as of this summer you don’t have to have a separate gun permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Regardless of the arguments you’ll hear so often that gun rights are being increasingly infringed upon, at least on this issue, it appears that gun-rights advocates have made significant progress at affecting the legislative process at the state level.
