The movement to restore carry rights the way the founders and framers of the Constitution intended notched two more victories as Alabama and Ohio became the 22nd and 23rd state, respectively, to enact permitless carry.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 272 into law last Thursday and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 215 into law on Monday.
“Unlike states who are doing everything in their power to make it harder for law-abiding citizens, Alabama is reaffirming our commitment to defending our Second Amendment rights,” said Governor Ivey in a press release obtained by GunsAmerica.
“I have always stood up for the rights of law-abiding gun owners, and I am proud to do that again today,” she continued.
DeWine did not release a statement celebrating the occasion, but the Buckeye Firearms Association, which backed the measure, did.
“This is a day that will go down in history…,” Buckeye Firearms Association Director Dean Rieck said in a statement. “This is a great moment for Ohio and for those who wish to more fully exercise their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”
“Gov. DeWine made a campaign promise to Buckeye Firearms Association and to Ohio’s 4 million gun owners that he would sign a Constitutional Carry bill if it was put on his desk. And he has fulfilled his promise.”
Again, for those unfamiliar with constitutional carry, it does not change the law with respect to prohibitive persons. It will still be illegal for felons, minors, drug addicts, fugitives from justice, those adjudicated mentally defective to possess, let alone, carry firearms.
“Constitutional carry empowers law-abiding citizens who are already otherwise eligible to obtain a carry permit to exercise their right-to-carry without having to go through government red tape and delays,” as the NRA-ILA notes.
Anti-gunners like to fearmonger about permitless carry, suggesting that it will lead to a “Wild Wild West” type environment.
But a recent study from the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) dispels that myth.
Per the study, allowing permit-less carry hasn’t led to increasing rates of violent crime. If anything, these rates have gone down in states that removed the requirement to obtain a permit before carrying a handgun.
It appears that when more responsible citizens have the opportunity to bear arms outside the home for self-defense, the safety of the public increases.
Ohio’s constitutional carry law rolls out about 90 days from now. Meanwhile, Alabama’s will take effect in Jan. 2023. Other states, including Indiana and Georgia, are also considering constitutional carry. As always, stay tuned for updates.