States’ concealed carry laws can allow handgun owners, under certain conditions, to carry a loaded handgun either concealed on a person, in a vehicle, or in public. “Concealed carry” means a person may carry a handgun in a manner so that others cannot see the handgun. Generally, these laws apply to handguns—i.e. pistols and revolvers; therefore, for the purposes of this report, we use this category to define firearms. States can allow civilians to carry a concealed handgun with or without a permit. Generally, states regulate whether individuals can carry handguns in public places such as schools, government buildings, and state and national parks, among other restricted places. States can be classified into one of the following four categories based on their concealed carry laws: No-issue: The state does not permit residents or nonresidents to carry concealed handguns. May-issue: The state applies discretion in granting permits to carry concealed handguns. Shall-issue: Issuing authorities are required to issue a permit to an applicant that fulfills the objective statutory criteria if no statutory reason for denial exists. Permit not required: States do not require a permit to carry a concealed handgun. State laws also define which entities issue permits in their state. For example, some states have delegated the authority to issue permits to a single issuing authority (sometimes referred to as a centralized system), such as departments of public safety, while other states have multiple issuing authorities (referred to as a decentralized system), such as local law enforcement and local courts. There are also states with a mixture of both centralized and decentralized systems. Of the 48 states that issue concealed carry permits (2 states do not issue permits—Illinois and Vermont), 20 states have centralized issuing authorities that process all applications and issue all permits for their state. Another 23 states have decentralized issuing authorities that process applications and issue permits at the jurisdictional level. The remaining 5 states use a combination of centralized and decentralized issuing authorities. These states generally utilize decentralized authorities for residents and a centralized authority for nonresidents (see app. III for a list of states’ issuing authorities). There is no federal law specifically addressing the issuance of concealed carry permits at the state level. While the FBI does not have a direct role in the issuance of concealed carry permits, the FBI serves as a source for criminal history background information. States may contact the FBI to obtain national criminal history records, if any, on applicants who apply for a concealed carry permit, but checking with the FBI prior to issuing a state permit is not required by federal law. Generally, states request name-based background checks from the FBI CJIS Division’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to help them make a determination about who is prohibited from receiving or possessing a handgun and thus prohibited from obtaining a concealed carry permit. During the course of a NICS background check, the applicant’s descriptive information is checked against three computerized systems to determine if the person is eligible to obtain the handgun. Those systems include the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Interstate Identification Index (III), and the NICS Index. If the applicant indicates that he or she is not a U.S. citizen, a query is generated against the immigration and naturalization databases maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ATF is the primary agency that enforces federal firearms laws regulating the commerce of firearms in the United States. Although the federal government does not have a direct role in the issuance of concealed carry, there is federal law making it unlawful for individuals to receive or possess a handgun if they (1) have been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year; (2) are fugitives from justice; (3) are unlawful drug users or are addicted to any controlled substance; (4) have been adjudicated as mental defective or have been committed to a mental institution; (5) are aliens illegally or unlawfully in the United States, or certain other aliens admitted under a nonimmigrant visa; (6) have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions; (7) have renounced their U.S. citizenship; (8) are the subject of certain types of a qualifying restraining order of a court; or (9) have been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. In practice, state determinations about eligibility to obtain concealed carry permits depend largely upon a person’s criminal history. When determining who should receive a concealed carry permit, generally states use eligibility prohibitors that are similar to the federal eligibility restrictions that apply for possessing or receiving a handgun. For example, persons convicted of a felony, the subject of certain types of orders of protection, or who have been committed to a mental institution are disqualified from receiving a concealed carry permit in many states. Since 2002, more states are required by law to issue permits and more permits have been issued to eligible applicants, although some states still maintain discretion in determining who receives permits. States can issue to either residents of the state only or to both residents and nonresidents, depending on state law. Because eligibility requirements differ, an individual could obtain a permit in one state but not another. In addition, the number of states that recognize other states’ permits has grown since 2002, but some states do not recognize any other states’ permits. Over time, more states have changed their concealed carry laws either from no-issue or may-issue to shall-issue, as shown in table 1 below. Figure 1 below shows changes in issue designation, by state, for 2002 and 2012. See app. IV for a list of issue designation by state). Shall-issue states generally issue more permits than may-issue states relative to the state population. (See app. V for information on the approximate number of active permits by state as of December 31, 2011.) Of the 48 states that issue permits, 45 provided us with permit information. The top 5 states by ratio of active permits issued to the adult population (20 years or older) are shall-issue states—Utah, Iowa, South Dakota, Georgia, and Indiana. The ratio of active permits relative to adult population in Georgia and South Dakota (shall-issue states) is approximately 9 percent and 11 percent respectively, while the same ratio in California and Maryland (may-issue states) is approximately 0.1 percent and 0.3 percent respectively.profiles (see apps. III, IV, and V for detailed information on each state). Move mouse over the name of each state for its concealed carry information. Mont. Vt. Wisc. S.Dak. Wyo. Mich. Nebr. Ill. Del. Colo. W.VA. Kans. Mo. Ky. D.C. N.C. Okla. N.Mex. Ark. Miss. Ala. Ga. La. If applicants do not meet states’ eligibility requirements, issuing authorities may deny the applicant a permit. Of the 45 states that reported permit information, 36 stated that they track denials and 29 provided some common reasons for the denials. For example, in 2011, Louisiana reported that the state denied approximately 400 permits and issued 12,000 concealed handgun permits (this includes original and renewal) citing failure to provide information within the specified time frames as required by the state as a common cause of denial. Likewise, Florida reported that from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, the state issued approximately 124,000 concealed carry permits (this includes original), and denied approximately 2,000 permits. Like Louisiana officials, Florida officials identified failure to provide required information, such as proof of citizenship and legible fingerprint cards, as common reasons for denial. Authorities in 26 states (10 may-issue and 16 shall-issue) that grant permits have discretion in making permit decisions. While 10 may-issue states have broad discretion in making permit decisions, authorities in 16 shall-issue states have limited discretion in making permit decisions, if no statutory reason for denial exists. In Virginia (a shall-issue state), for example, issuing authorities stated that they can deny individuals whom the court finds are likely to use a weapon unlawfully or negligently to endanger others, based on a preponderance of the evidence. Similarly, in Georgia (a shall-issue state), issuing authorities noted that applicants are subject to denial if the issuing authority determines, among other things, that the applicant is not of good moral character. However, both Virginia and Georgia officials told us that although they have the discretion to deny a permit based on the factors mentioned above, it is rarely utilized. In the 10 may-issue states, issuing authorities may issue a permit to eligible individuals after considering additional requirements, such as the applicant’s history and personal character. For example, Maryland issues permits to residents who, on the basis of an investigation, can demonstrate a good and substantial reason for needing a permit, and Maryland’s issuing authority is responsible for making the determination of what constitutes a good and substantial reason. For example, in one instance, Maryland’s issuing authority denied a permit to a community activist working in anti-drug and anti-crime programs because, although the activist claimed that people had told him that others had made threats of bodily harm against him, the activist could not provide the names of the persons who had made the threats and had not reported any assaults. In upholding the denial on appeal, the issuing authority explained that a good and substantial reason should include additional evidence, rather than be based solely on personal anxiety or concern about unsubstantiated threats. Similarly, issuing authorities in California use discretion to determine if the applicant is of good moral character, and good cause exists for the issuance of the permit.authorities in California (local law enforcement) told us that an example of a good cause is a business owner who may regularly retain cash on-hand used to pay employees.