Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-Open carry should be permitted in all 50 states,  not as a federal regulation,  but as a state-by-state regulation as a number of states already have open carry  with background checks and appropriate license and permit procedures in place.

The federal government does not currently restrict open carry, but it does have specific rules concerning the open carrying of firearms on property owned and operated by the federal government.  Those rules and regulations, in and of themselves, limit open carry in vulnerable facilities that could, and have been, subject to the use of firearms for criminal purposes.  These facilities are basically gun free zones and the regulations in place serve to endanger those operating and working in buildings, military installations, and other property owned by the federal government.  The government regulations have served as examples as to what can happen when open carry is disallowed in specific places.  The Ft. Hood massacre should serve as an example of what can happen with these kinds of restrictions.   Nearly every state has varying open carry laws, with the exceptions of California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and South Carolina, and the District of Columbia, which prohibit open carry.  Thirty-one states allow open carry without a license and permit, with some restraints on carrying the weapon unloaded.  Fifteen states require some form of license or permit to open carry.   State laws are also established for the carrying of long guns (rifles and shotguns).  In a majority of the states, 44 of them, open carrying a loaded long gun is legal.  The states of California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey, as well as the District of

These facilities are basically gun free zones and the regulations in place serve to endanger those operating and working in buildings, military installations, and other property owned by the federal government.  The government regulations have served as examples as to what can happen when open carry is disallowed in specific places.  The Ft. Hood massacre should serve as an example of what can happen with these kinds of restrictions.   Nearly every state has varying open carry laws, with the exceptions of California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and South Carolina, and the District of Columbia, which prohibit open carry.  Thirty-one states allow open carry without a license and permit, with some restraints on carrying the weapon unloaded.  Fifteen states require some form of license or permit to open carry.   State laws are also established for the carrying of long guns (rifles and shotguns).  In a majority of the states, 44 of them, open carrying a loaded long gun is legal.  The states of California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey, as well as the District of

Nearly every state has varying open carry laws, with the exceptions of California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and South Carolina, and the District of Columbia, which prohibit open carry.  Thirty-one states allow open carry without a license and permit, with some restraints on carrying the weapon unloaded.  Fifteen states require some form of license or permit to open carry.   State laws are also established for the carrying of long guns (rifles and shotguns).  In a majority of the states, 44 of them, open carrying a loaded long gun is legal.  The states of California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey, as well as the District of

State laws are also established for the carrying of long guns (rifles and shotguns).  In a majority of the states, 44 of them, open carrying a loaded long gun is legal.  The states of California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey, as well as the District of Columbia forbid the carrying of rifles and shotguns.  The remaining states allow the open carrying of long guns, though in Michigan restrictions apply as to where the long gun can be taken or located, while in Iowa, Tennessee and Utah a long gun has be unloaded, and in Virginia and Pennsylvania there are limitations on the cities where a long gun can be openly displayed.   With open carry laws existing in nearly every state, federal government intervention and regulation is not needed.  Americans who abide by the law are afforded the right to carry guns in more places than thought possible without legal complications.   Perhaps state open carry laws should be more uniform in nature without so many limitations that serve to confuse gun owners in and outside of respective home states, but federal regulation would only assist in confusing state open carry issues even more.  The only reason for

With open carry laws existing in nearly every state, federal government intervention and regulation is not needed.  Americans who abide by the law are afforded the right to carry guns in more places than thought possible without legal complications.   Perhaps state open carry laws should be more uniform in nature without so many limitations that serve to confuse gun owners in and outside of respective home states, but federal regulation would only assist in confusing state open carry issues even more.  The only reason for federal regulation concerning open carry is to transfer the same type of restrictions it does on government property and other facilities to the states, as well as disallowing citizen access to open carry as a means of protection.  In spite of the government’s efforts to continually regulate and micro-manage gun use in general, open carry is a state issue that needs to remain as such.

Cartwright—I do believe that we should have open carry in each and every state for those individuals who have obtained an open carry permit.  This would be like a concealed weapon permit which requires classes and target practice in addition to substantial background checks.  If you can pass all of this, I’m all for it.  I think this would seriously reduce a lot of crimes in America.  Who’s going to walk into the liquor store and rob it if there’s ten people walking around with firearms on their hips?  Who’s going to walk into a restaurant or theater and start shooting if other people have guns?  Hell, I think this is a great solution to airline security as well.  Give every passenger who gets on the plane a pistol and have them turn it back in when they get off the plane.  How many hijackings do you think there would be if all the passengers were equally armed?

I’m all for open carry all across America so long as there is a rigorous permitting process to make sure that felons, criminals, or individuals with mental disorders don’t get permits.  Ever notice how much crime and gun violence is committed in places with tough gun control laws?  How did gun control work out for Paris?  Bet things would have ended differently had some of the people had guns.  How about crime in places like Boston, Buffalo, and Los Angeles which all have tough gun control laws?  Not places that I would want to live or visit for that matter given their crime rates.