A media guide to concealed, open, constitutional and other types of carry

Dear media friends,

There seems to be a lot of confusion lately about the various types of firearms carry. I hope this clarifies the issue for you:

Concealed Carry – the carrying of a handgun concealed, usually by the owner’s clothing. This usually requires a license of permit from a state government. To be clear, the weapon is not visible to passersby.

Open Carry – the carrying of a firearm openly, so it is visible and unconcealed. While rifles and shotguns can be carried openly in some states, the term usually refers to a handgun. An example from history – cowboys carried their revolvers openly, in low-slung holsters on the thigh.

Constitutional Carry – when a state opts to allow law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun concealed – and in some states openly too – without a permit or license. Currently, there are 25 states that have passed constitutional carry.

Permitless Carry – this term is somewhat argumentative. Some media outlets use permitless rather than constitutional carry, even though carrying a firearm is a constitutional right. Do we say permitless voting or permitless churchgoing? This is not accurate. It’s a political term.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email.

We want your stories to be as accurate as possible too.

By Lee Williams|May 6th, 2022|Categories: Opinion|Tags: 2A, Concealed Carry, constitutional carry, Disinformation, mainstream media, media, Open Carry, permitless carry, second amendment

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About the Author: Lee Williams

Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” cofounded Armed American News. Lee is also the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project, and serves on the board of Florida Carry, Inc. Until recently, he was an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.