MSNBC: Utah, Florida help non-residents pack guns

[RamboLiberal]

The one-third or so of American adults who can’t obtain permits to carry concealed weapons from their home states need only look to Florida and Utah — and their mailboxes — to legally carry hidden guns.

Because both states grant concealed-carry permits to non-residents and have reciprocal agreements with other states under which their permits are recognized, possession of a Utah or Florida permit gives non-residents the right to carry hidden firearms in as many as 32 other states — though often not the one in which they live.

Tens of thousands of gun owners have obtained the non-resident permits, and their numbers are surging.

That has helped fuel the larger debate over concealed-carry permits. Gun-rights activists say Americans who pack heat to defend themselves are exercising a legitimate right and have helped reduce the nation’s crime rate. Gun-control advocates say that there’s no proof that gun-toting civilians make the streets any safer and that looser concealed-carry laws are a recipe for disaster.

As the debate continues, the Utah and Florida permits are becoming ever-hotter tickets for out-of-state gun owners.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35819673/ns/us_news-life/

In my state of PA there are classes offered to obtain either a Utah or Florida permit or both. People taking the classes generally have a PA permit but they want the UT or FL permit to add states that don't honor their PA permit. For instance here in western part of PA we like to have the ability to carry in to our neighboring state of OH and though we now have repricity with WV in the past that was another reason to want the UT of FL permits.

[X_Digger]

1. I thought about adding a UT non-resident..

.. but it only gets me 4 more states, and they're not states I'm likely to visit.

[RamboLiberal]

2. I've been considering it for the ability to carry in to Ohio

Where I do go in warmer months for matches. I've been hoping we'd get repriocity with OH but the catch may be that OH requires their licensees to go to a class and pass a test and PA doesn't.

[spin]

3. There was an interesting video on the linked page ...

named Want to shoot? Handgun 101

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35918749#35918749

I'm a firm supporter of "shall issue" laws for concealed carry. For one thing it eliminates the racism that often exists in "may issue" states.

The modified Ayres and Donohue model finds that shall-issue laws
significantly reduce murder and burglary across all the adopting states. These laws
appear to significantly increase assault, and have no net effect on rape, robbery,
larceny, or auto theft. However, in the long run only the trend coefficients matter.
We estimate a net benefit of $450 million per year as a result of the passage of
these laws. We also estimate that, up through 2000, there was a cumulative overall
net benefit of these laws of $28 billion since their passage. We think that there
is credible statistical evidence that these laws lower the costs of crime. But at
the very least, the present study should neutralize any “more guns, more crime”
thinking based on Ayres and Donohue’s work in the Stanford Law Review.

We acknowledge that, especially in light of the methodological issues of
the literature in general, the magnitudes derived from our analysis of crime statistics
and the supposed costs of crime might be dwarfed by other considerations in
judging the policy issue. Some might contend that allowing individuals to carry a
concealed weapon is a moral or cultural bad. Others might contend that greater
liberty is a moral or cultural good. All we are confident in saying is that the evidence,
such as it is, seems to support the hypothesis that the shall-issue law is generally
beneficial with respect to its overall long run effect on crime.
www.econjournalwatch.org/pdf/MoodyMarvellCommentSeptember2008.pdf (Summary and Conclusion page 291)

[jefflrrp]

4. I have my NH non-resident permit

A very easy $20. Sent a copy of my VA CHL and a check. 3 weeks later after the background check came back, I had my NH permit. Along w/ VA, NH gives me about 5-6 more states' reciprocity. I can carry in 31.