Concealed carry

"Concealed weapon" redirects here. For other uses, see Secret weapon.

Concealed carry, or CCW (carrying a concealed weapon), refers to the practice of carrying a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in proximity.

In Canada

The practice of CCW is technically legal in many jurisdictions in Canada; however, in practice, it is often not permitted through the refusal to issue permits. This is the legal situation for Canadians, where an Authorization to Carry (ATC) exists, but the provincial chief firearm officers (CFOs) have agreed not to issue such licenses. Concealment of the firearm is permitted only if specifically stipulated in the terms of the ATC (thus this would then be a specific class of ATC, specifically an ATC-3 or type 3) and is in practice nearly impossible to obtain.

In Canada, for wilderness protection, individuals may receive limited licenses to permit open carry called ATC-2, but only within specific highly restrictive uninhabited areas. There must be sufficient reason to believe the life of the individual could be endangered if not permitted to carry, due to bear or other wildlife activity, and additionally that they would not be feasibly able to carry a long arm Non-restricted Firearm due to other equipment. In practice, the policy toward carrying while hunting has been a complete ban since 1979. CFO staff have been variously quoted as stating "If you can shoot it with a rifle, you can finish it with a rifle." On these grounds, the known number of ATCs issued in any province has remained very low.

In the case of ATCs issued for wilderness purposes, the typical restrictions in Canada are that the firearm be visible at all times (it is an offence in the Canadian Criminal Code to carry any concealed weapon) and may not be worn within five kilometers of any city limit. This has the effect of further limiting the utility of any issued ATC, and thoroughly restricting it only to wilderness locations. Applicants for an ATC for wilderness purposes typically number in the hundreds, and concealed permit holders (ATC-3) are nearly non-existent. Ontario (the most populous Canadian province at 13 million) serves as an apt example: 13 ATC-3 were active and issued in that province as of 2002.

In the Czech Republic

Main article: Gun politics in the Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, concealed carry is obligatory, only in few special cases visible carry is allowed.

In Mexico

Concealed-carry licenses are hard to obtain in Mexico but there is leeway if the applicant is wealthy and has political connections^{[citation needed]}. Concealed-carry licenses authorize possession of pistols of up to .380 ACP caliber. In the face of rising crime, private citizens arm themselves despite the difficulty of obtaining a proper permit.

In the United States

Main article: Concealed carry in the United States

Concealed carry is legal in most jurisdictions of the United States. A handful of states and jurisdictions severely restrict or ban CCW, but all jurisdictions except the State of Illinois and the District of Columbia make provision for legal concealed carry via a permit or license, or via constitutional carry. Most states that require a permit for CCW have "shall-issue" statutes; that is, if a person meets the requirements to obtain a permit, the issuing authority (typically a state law enforcement office such as the State Troopers) must issue one, with no discretionary power given. Some states, including California, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts have "may-issue" statutes; these states may (or may not) issue permits to carry if a person meets the requirements to obtain one. States with may-issue statutes typically do not issue permits unless the applicant provides a documented need for a concealed weapon, such as for retired police officers, judges, and federal agents.

Further complicating the status of concealed carry is recognition of other states' permits under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the US Constitution. There are several popular combinations of resident and non-resident permits that allow carry in more states than the original issuing state; for example, a Utah non-resident permit allows carry in 25 states. Many states, however, do not recognize non-resident permits, especially for their own residents. A few states do not recognize any permit from another state. The issue of reciprocity under Full Faith and Credit (or lack of same) is largely untested in court; legislative efforts to require it have been made, but are generally met with protests that doing so would undermine states' rights to hold residents to higher standards than a neighboring State.

See also

• Gun politics
• Open carry
• Self-defense
• Students for Concealed Carry
• Unrestricted carry
• Weapon possession (crime)
• Defensive gun use