#animited

Batman Week 

Animited gif showing how the laws governing issurance of concealed carry permits has changed year-by-year

I apologize for the color scheme. I have difficulty differentiating between the color use for "may issue" and "restricted" without looking closely. That said, I didn't do the map, and it's well done. Kudos to the wikipedian author.

Unrestricted means that handgun permits are only issued for special cases. A resident can carry concealed if they meet the legal requirements to own a handgun (legal age, which varies by state; 21 to purchase one under federal law, but sometimes younger if someone like your parents gifts you the pistol.)

Shall-issue requires that you have a permit to carry a gun concealed, and this is by far the most common system, governing most of the states, most of the land area and most of the population. The state is required to issue a concealed handgun permit if the resident or nonresident meets certain requirements. This always involves a criminal background check, which is sometimes fairly invasive. Training requirements are common. Ohio requires 12 hours of classes with a practical component. Written tests are also common. Some of these states allow businesses to opt-out and prohibit guns by posting a sign with legible letters of a certain height, citing the law. Prohibiting guns in bars is also common. Illinois and a few other states prohibit guns on public transit; this is highly contentious.

May-issue systems allow the state (an agency, or the state police, or county, or municipality, or sheriff depending on the state) discretion over who is allowed a permit beyond the more egalitarian measures favored by shall-issue states. Alabama, although it's listed here as shall-issue, allows sheriffs some discretion in whether they choose to issue a permit. The joke (and perhaps this is the sad truth of the matter) is that it's intended to prevent racial minorities from owning guns.