CCW State Law Comparisons - Methodology (table of contents, next page)

Methodology

State laws vary substantially in organization, structure and content from state to state. In general though, they follow a similar pattern. All laws describe the requirements that the applicant must meet in order to qualify for a permit; what type weapon may be carried and where; what background checks are required and who will perform them; training requirements, if any; reciprocity, if it exists; and other categories.

The laws of each state were reviewed and the relevant data contained in each state laws placed in the matching categories. Please note that state laws are subject to constant revision and every effort was made to collect this data from the most current version of the applicable state laws

These categories were scored and then compared to the data of the other states. The information gathered was then double checked against the state statutes. A check was then ran against laws summaries contained in the "Firearms Laws Deskbook" by Stephen Halbrook. If any discrepancies were discovered, the state laws were reevaluated. If the discrepancy could not be resolved , the stricter of the two versions was counted.

Ranking the States

The laws of the following states were reviewed: Missouri [Proposition B], Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming. These states have concealed firearm laws that are generally considered to be "shall-issue" laws. This is the type of law proposed in Missouri’s Proposition B.

In order for the comparison to be of any relevance to the reader, a grading system needed to be established. The grades were then assigned to the various categories of the individual state’s laws. These points were then added together for a aggregate score or a comparative strictness value.

In general:

  1. If the specific state law contained a firm statutory provision in the category, it was awarded 2 points.
  2. If the specific state laws contained a discretionary provision in the category, it was awarded 1 point.
  3. If the specific state laws contained no provision for the category, it was awarded 0 points.

Each state’s points were then totaled for each category. States that scored higher points are considered to contain stricter provisions than states with lower point totals.

[COVER] [CONTENTS] [TITLE] [DEDICATION] [ABSTRACT] [INTRO] [METHOD] [HOW TO USE]
[BASICS123Chart] [CHECKChart] [PERMITTED WEAPONSChart] [PERMIT FORM12, Chart] [TRAINING12Chart] [QUALIFICATIONSChart] [PROHIBITED PLACES123Chart] [FL, TX and VA123]
[CONCLUSION]

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