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Matthew Rytting
Nikki Mantyla
English 1010
December 2nd 2014
Would A National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Be Beneficial?
Imagine that you want to go on a road trip across the country, you get everything packed
and you hit the road. The trip is going great so far, you have driven through the third state and
really enjoying the adventure. That is until you get to the fourth state (we will call it state X), the
drivers license you have is not valid in state X. Unfortunately state X doesnt think that the state
your drivers license is from requires you to have enough drivers training before issuing a
drivers license. In fact state X only recognizes drivers licenses from a few states, only the states
that have similar drivers training as state X. But the good news is that you are welcome to take a
drivers training course and pay the fees to get a state X drivers license (it could be worse,
another state doesnt recognize any other states drivers licenses and will not allow people from
other states to obtain a drivers license form there). All fifty states issue drivers licenses but
every state has the right to decide what other states drivers licenses are valid in their state. I
know you are thinking that this sounds crazy but that is exactly how concealed carry permits are
treated.
Concealed carry permit holders need to do careful research about every state that they
plan on traveling through, taking into account what states permits they hold (in order to travel
you will most likely need more than one permit) and what the specific laws are for each state.
With each state having their own set of laws it becomes really hard to understand what laws are

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where. If there were a nationwide recognized permit that would solve several problems: A
concealed carry permit could be a legal form of identification, a standard level of training could
be required, and one permit guarantees the right to protect yourself no matter what state you are
in. I understand that there are those who feel that concealed carry is a danger to all those who are
around them. Whether it be that they are afraid of guns in general or they feel that guns have no
place in the modern world. But that is not what I am talking about here, concealed carry is legal
in all 50 states and I am going to focus on improvements to concealed carry permits.
The first thing that a nationally recognized concealed carry permit could be used for is as
a government issued identification. In the state of Utah a concealed carry permit is not an
acceptable form of identification to get a drivers license, yet two bills with your name on them
are required. (Important Changes, publicsafety.utah.gov) I find it funny that a bill with your
name on it is a better form of identification than a concealed carry permit that requires
fingerprints run through the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification (Utah Department,
publicsafety.utah.gov) along with a full FBI background check and a copy of your drivers
license in order to be issued the permit. The only time I have seen a concealed carry permit
accepted as a legal form of identification was when it was listed as acceptable for voting (a piece
of mail with your name and address on it is also an acceptable form of identification). For some
reason the permit is good enough to let you vote but not good enough to use it to buy cigarettes.
(Utah Retailer Education, tobaccofreeutah.org) No one under the age of twenty-one get a
concealed carry permit therefor it would be an easy form of identification to buy alcohol yet it is
not a valid form of identification.

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Another thing that a concealed carry permit is good for on top of identification is that it
has a number on the back to call and check if it valid, Its like an instant criminal background
check. Earlier this year my wife needed to go to have her fingerprints and a criminal background
check ran to be able to volunteer at my sons elementary school. The background check requires
up to six weeks to be completed so you need to get it done early to ensure that it comes back in
time. My wife waited until the last minute and went in exactly six weeks before she was going to
be helping at the school. They had her fill out the paperwork and provided all the required
identification, then they took her fingerprints. When they were done with everything required
my wife asked them about how long it would take to get everything back. The lady was in the
process of explaining that it has been taking about five weeks to get everything back when my
wifes background check was approved and she was cleared to help at the school. My wife said
that was fast and the lady helping her said you must have your concealed carry permit, that must
be why it was approved so quickly. In Utah the background checks are run through the Utah
Bureau of Criminal Identification, the same place that issues concealed carry permits. With a
concealed carry permit your name is put in a database that is run against every new record that is
submitted to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification and as long as there is not a match then
the permit is valid, if there is a match that is grounds for revocation then the permit is revoked
and the permit is void. That is where the number on the back of the card comes in, you can check
anytime if the permit is valid. In fact that is basically what happens when a concealed permit
holder buys a gun from a licensed gun dealer, you fill out the paperwork and then they verify that
the permit is valid.
Along with another legal form of identification having a nationwide recognized
concealed carry license could standardize a level of training required to receive a concealed carry

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permit, ensuring that everyone who has a permit has been properly trained. As of the time I am
writing this Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Vermont and Wyoming (Concealed Firearm Permits,
wyomingdci.wyo.gov) do not require a permit to carry a concealed firearm, where Washington
DC (Applying for, mpdc.dc.gov) requires a sixteen hour training course plus two hours at the
range to be completed through a certified instructor (there are exactly zero certified instructors
for Washington DC currently) before being able to receive a permit. There are some states (like
Utah) that require a certain number of classroom lecture hours but there is no range time
required, other states require both classroom and range training. I have personally had over a
hundred hours of classroom training and almost as much range training with a pistol, this was not
for my concealed carry but professional training when I worked in private armed security. I can
tell you there is a big difference between listening to someone talking about how things work in
a classroom and experiencing the same lesson as you are putting the things you are taught into
actual practice at the range. I feel that a standardized training including range time would be
nothing but beneficial to everyone who gets a concealed carry permit, and people who dont have
a permit would benefit from better trained permit holders.
Something I feel should be taught in a concealed carry class is observation. There is more
going on around people then they notice. Out of all of the training that I have received I feel that
learning to be observant was the best. The best way to survive a bad situation is to avoid it all
together. I have a lot of experience with this do to what I did for work, if I feel like something is
not right with a situation I do what I can to get out of that situation. I dont know if anything bad
would have come from any of those situations but I can tell you I have not needed to draw my
gun. Although I was in a situation due to work that I could have drawn my gun to de-escalate the
situation but I felt it could cause the situation to escalate and I really didnt want to have to shoot

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the guy if it did escalate. So I say that situational awareness has worked for me. I would rather
leave if it doesnt feel right than put myself into a possibly dangerous situation.
This leads us to the point that a nationwide concealed carry reciprocity would allow
concealed carry permit holders to travel nationwide without having to give up the right to protect
themselves. Illinois was the last state to allow concealed carry (Concealed Carry,
chicagotribune.com) but it was required by a court order, last month California was forced by
court order to change from a may issue state to a shall issue state (California Can't, latimes.com)
meaning that you used to need to prove that you need a concealed carry permit and then they
decide if you really do need it to now as long as you are eligible for a concealed carry permit you
will be issued one. I mentioned Washington DC earlier and how they do not have any certified
instructors, this is how they are getting around a court order to issue concealed carry permits. As
of two weeks ago U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr is considering holding D.C. in
contempt of court for enacting new gun laws that are so restrictive as to be out of compliance
with his order to allow for concealed carry in the city.(Noble, Andrea, washingtontimes.com)
Time and time again the courts are requiring states to allow concealed carry, I dont
understand why we dont have nationwide concealed carry reciprocity yet. I do think that it will
happen eventually though, with the way things are going in the courts it is only a matter of time.
There are those who feel that concealed carry is a bad thing and having concealed carriers around
is a danger to themselves. What I have to say to them is that as of July 2014 there are 11.1
million concealed carry permit holders in the United States, which is up from 8 million three
years ago. (Report from, crimepreventionresearchcenter.org) That is 11.1 million law abiding
citizens, they are not felons. In fact if they are carrying properly you would never even know that

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they are carrying a firearm. Carrying a firearm properly concealed is a lot harder to do than most
would think. When I started to carry I was told I needed to dress for the gun. I didnt understand
what that meant at first but I do now. Dressing for the gun refers to the fact that you will need to
change some things in order to properly conceal a firearm. That might include buying pants with
a larger size waist in order to accommodate a holster and a gun. If worn in the waist band you
will need a gun belt. A gun belt is simply a sturdier version of a belt, often reinforced with
plastic inside of the belt to support the weight of a gun. The most important piece of equipment
for carrying a gun is a good holster.
Other people think that concealed carriers are out looking for a fight. To this I say that if
properly trained they avoid a fight however possible, but if they find themselves in a situation
where there is no way to escape they have the means to protect themselves and others. The great
thing about concealed carry is that nobody knows who is carrying a gun. Think of it this way, if
you were a criminal would you rather rob a gun store where it is very likely that most people
inside are armed or a coffee shop that is proud to be a gun free zone? My bet is that you would
choose to rob the coffee shop, it is the logical choice. I personally try to avoid anyplace that is a
gun free zone. Gun free zones are only followed by law abiding citizens, I cant figure out why
people think that gun free zones are a safe environment. Criminals by definition break laws, how
does one more law for them to break help keep anyone safe? Concealed carriers are among the
most law abiding citizens in the nation and gun free zones only disarm those who are legally
able to carry a firearm. I like to refer to a gun like a fire extinguisher, everyone should have one
but hope they will never need to use it.

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Works Cited
Applying for a Concealed Carry Pistol License. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
<http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/applying-concealed-carry-pistol-license>.
"California Can't Challenge Ruling on Concealed Guns, Court Says." Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-concealed-weapons-20141113story.html>.
"Concealed Carry: Court Strikes down Illinois' Ban." Chicago Tribune. N.p., 11 Dec. 2012.
Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-11/news/chi-usappeals-court-strikes-down-states-concealedcarry-ban-20121211_1_court-strikesappeals-court-david-sigale>.
"Concealed Firearm Permits - Division of Criminal Investigation." Concealed Firearm Permits
Division of Criminal Investigation. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
<http://wyomingdci.wyo.gov/dci-criminal-justice-information-systemssection/concealed-firearms-permits>.
"Important Changes to the Utah License or Identification Card That Will Affect You!" DLD 335
9-13 (n.d.): n. pag. Publicsafety.utah.gov. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
<http://publicsafety.utah.gov/dld/documents/DL335Brochure9-13_000.pdf>.
Noble, Andrea. "Federal Judge Considers Holding D.C. in Contempt over Gun Laws."

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The Washington Times, 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/20/federal-judge-considers-holdingdc-in-contempt-ove/>.
Report from the Crime Prevention Research Center. "Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across
the United States." (n.d.): n. pag. 14 July 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
<http://crimepreventionresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ConcealedCarry-Permit-Holders-Across-the-United-States.pdf>.
"Utah Department of Public Safety." Bureau of Criminal Identification. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov.
2014. <http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/>.
"Utah Retailer Education-Forms of Identification." Utah Tobacco Prevention and Control
Program- Retailer Forms of Identification. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/retail-forms_id.html>.