These criteria usually include no disqualifying criminal or mental health background, and frequently some level of training in the use of deadly force. As was brought out in University of Chicago Professor John Lott's recent book, More Guns, Less Crime , states who allow properly qualified citizens to carry concealed firearms enjoy lower violent crime rates than those who don't.
State laws regarding carrying concealed firearms vary widely.
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms staff has examined the laws and procedures governing concealed carry across the United States. Once again, we've proven that the only correlation between firearm possession and crime is one of reduced crime where citizens are given the freedom to exercise their rights. First and most critical was the adoption by a state of clear and objective criteria for license issuance. By removing the discretionary factor, favoritism and arbitrary denial are eliminated. Vermont, with one of the lowest violent crime rates in the United States, allows all law-abiding citizens to carry concealed without a license.