<P> There is no federal statutory law concerning the issuance of concealed - carry permits . All 50 states have passed laws allowing qualified individuals to carry certain concealed firearms in public, either without a permit or after obtaining a permit from a designated government authority at the state and / or local level; however, there are still many states that, though they have passed concealed carry permit laws, do not issue permits or make it extremely difficult to obtain one . </P> <P> A comprehensive 2004 literature review by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that there was no evidence that concealed carry either increases or reduces violent crime; some individual studies suggest that CCW reduces violent crime; others suggest that it increases violent crime . </P> <P> Concealed weapons bans were passed in Kentucky and Louisiana in 1813 . (In those days open carry of weapons for self - defense was considered acceptable; concealed carry was denounced as the practice of criminals .) By 1859, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, and Ohio had followed suit . By the end of the nineteenth century, similar laws were passed in places such as Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, which protected some gun rights in their state constitutions . Before the mid 1900s, most U.S. states had passed concealed carry laws rather than banning weapons completely . Until the late 1990s, many Southern states were either "No - Issue" or "Restrictive May - Issue". Since then, these states have largely enacted "Shall - Issue" licensing laws, with numerous states legalizing "Unrestricted concealed carry". </P> <P> Regulations differ widely by state, with most states currently maintaining a "Shall - Issue" policy . As recently as the mid -' 90s most states were no - issue or may - issue, but over the past 30 years states have consistently migrated to less restrictive alternatives . </P>

When can you get a concealed carry permit