Concealed Carry (Shall Issue)

Shall issue refers to a state that issues concealed or open carry permits to carry a firearm to all of its law abiding citizens for the purposes of self defense. A state shall, or must, issue a permit to any lawful citizen who meets reasonable objective qualifying standards.

May issue states are those states that only issue permits at the discretion of the state. They may, or may not, issue a permit and generally they are not available to most of the law-abiding public.

Four states (Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming) allow anyone who can legally own a gun to carry a gun without a permit. This is sometimes referred to as "Constitutional Carry" as the founders of the United States did not intend for a citizen to ever need a permit to carry a firearm.

Illinois is the only state that completely disallows any law-abiding citizen the right to carry a firearm. 

Maryland is a restrictive May Issue state. Very few permits are issued or renewed on a yearly basis and less than 2% of those are for self defense.

A recent court ruling has held that "Good and Substantial" is unconstitutional. See "Woollard Action Center" for more information.

This court ruling, if upheld on appeal, will change the type of state Maryland is. 

The landscape has changed dramatically since Florida liberalized its carry laws in 1987. At that time, very few states allowed for concealed or open carry. Today, four states allow for unrestricted carry and 37 states are Shall Issue, for a total of 41 states. There are only eight remaining May Issue states (of which Maryland is one) and only one state (Illinois) remains a No Issue state. The image below shows the evolution of Shall Issue. 

Over the last 25 years, the number of states that have moved to either Constitutional Carry or a Shall Issue permitting system has more than doubled. More law-abiding citizens are carrying firearms for the purpose of self defense, yet gun crime as a whole has fallen during that same time. Further, crimes committed by those with carry permits are extremely rare.

All too frequently, a police officer is unable to respond to the scene of a violent crime while it is in progress. Very often, the crime is over and the criminal has long fled the area before police are able to respond. Worse still, various court decisions over the last 20 years have held that the police have no duty to protect individual citizens, confirming their duty is to the public at large.

It is critical to understand that when seconds count, police are minutes away.

Please see the following links for more information:

http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/kasler-protection.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsgVtpWmMOc

http://www.amazon.com/Dial-911-Die-Richard-Stevens/dp/0964230445

Over the last 25 years, the number of states that have moved to a Shall Issue permitting process has more than doubled. More law-abiding citizens are carrying firearms for the purpose of self defense, yet gun crime as a whole has fallen during that same time. Further, crimes committed by those with carry permits are extremely rare.

It is rare that a police officer is able to respond to the scene of a violent crime while it is still in progress. Very often, the crime is over and the criminal has long fled the area before police are able to respond. Worse still, various court decisions over the last 20 years have held that the police have no duty to protect individual citizens and that their duty is to the public at large. Despite the fact the police will do their best to help you; if they fail, you will not be able to sue them if you become a victim because they couldn't respond in time. 

It is crucial to understand that when seconds count, police are minutes away.

http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/kasler-protection.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsgVtpWmMOc

http://www.amazon.com/Dial-911-Die-Richard-Stevens/dp/0964230445

No. Maryland has no reciprocity with any other state.

An application must be submitted to the Maryland State Police (MSP) along with a non-refundable $127.25 fee. The applicant must show a “good and substantial” reason why he or she needs to carry a weapon, but ultimately the choice to issue the permit is at the discretion of the MSP. The application is available here: http://www.mdsp.org/downloads/licensing_application.pdf

A recent court ruling has held that "Good and Substantial" is unconstitutional. See "Woollard Action Center" for more information. 

No, the MSP has decided that, absent prior documented threats (for example previous police reports) individual or family self defense is not considered good and substantial.

A recent court ruling has held that "Good and Substantial" is unconstitutional. See "Woollard Action Center" for more information. 

No. The lack of an objective definition of “good and substantial” has been noted by the MSP and by the General Assembly in previous testimony. This leads to arbitrary decisions by the MSP in the absence of any further guidance.

A recent court ruling has held that "Good and Substantial" is unconstitutional. See "Woollard Action Center" for more information. 

Off-duty law enforcement officers, people who have a business and carry large sums of money or highly valuable material, physicians, and individuals who have documented, and recent, threats or physical violence against them. Normal law-abiding citizens typically do not qualify. In addition many Maryland carry permits are valid only in certain circumstances – when actively engaged in carrying a monetary deposit to the bank, for example.

No. As it is virtually impossible for normal, law-abiding citizens to get a carry permit and because the application fee is both expensive and non-refundable, most citizens don’t even bother to apply, knowing that they would be denied. 

Concealed carry means the firearm must be carried on the person in a way that is not visible. Open carry by contrast is what it sounds like: the firearm may be carried in a holster in a way that is plainly visible to the public.

It depends. You may not carry a firearm in your car for self defense. You may only transport a gun in your vehicle for certain specific purposes, for example after a purchase of a new gun from the dealer to your home, to and from the gun range for purposes of target practice, etc. In all cases the gun must be unloaded in an enclosed container and inaccessible to the occupants of the vehicle. The glove compartment or a console does not qualify as being inaccessible.

Join Maryland Shall Issue and become a member. Write letters to the editor regarding firearms or self defense topics. Talk to your friends and neighbors about Maryland gun laws and personal self defense. Contact your state representatives and testify, either in writing or in person, at the General Assembly’s committee hearings when gun related bills are discussed. Vote for candidates that support the Second Amendment and the right to carry in this state. Get informed and stay informed in the larger Maryland gun community through places like Maryland Shooters: http://www.mdshooters.com/. Join the Second Amendment Foundation http://www.saf.org/ and/or the National Rifle Association http://nra.org.