Concealed Carry History
Right To Carry (1986 – 2017)
Until 1813 open carry and concealed carry of a firearm for self defense was accepted by all states. This changed in 1813 when Louisiana and Kentucky banned concealed carry on the grounds that only a criminal would conceal a firearm. Five more states, Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia enacted similar concealed carry bans by 1859. This was followed by Florida, Oklahoma and Texas by 1900. Instead of an outright ban on firearms most states had opted to enact concealed carry laws by 1950. A trend towards more liberal firearms laws started in the late 1990s. A browse through the history map above will show the dramatic progression from “No Issue” or “May Issue” states to “Shall Issue” states and now “Unrestricted states”. A growing number of states are now enacting laws that allow you to conceal carry a firearm without a permit. There are now 14 states that allow permitless carry with North Dakota becoming the latest in 2017. This trend has also included more liberal CCW reciprocity laws between states.