News from Kentucky:
The Kentucky House of Representatives has passed a permitless conceal carry bill.
Senate Bill 150, backed by the National Rifle Association, will now head to Governor Matt Bevin’s desk after a 60-37 vote in the House. It allows Kentuckians 21 and older who can lawfully possess a firearm to be able to conceal it without a permit.
Gov. Bevin said Friday afternoon to Gray TV that he would sign the bill.
“It doesn’t break new ground. It simply says that people do indeed have the right to keep and bear arms,” said Gov Bevin. “… For those people who are offended at this idea and don’t like it, there are other places in America where they could live.”
Gov. Bevin also said he is a concealed carry gun owner and that this bill is a constitutional carry bill.
Well, what does he mean by that? Is this bill permitless carry, or constitutional carry? Curious, I did just a little bit of research on open carry in Kentucky.
Kentucky law provides a strong background for permitting the open carry of firearms in most places. As such, there is little case law discussing the issue, because simply put, it isn’t illegal to openly carry firearms and the cases the do arise are not litigated to the point that they become case law. Even if an individual is charged, the cases will likely be quickly dismissed and will not remain in the judicial system to become legal precedent.
Because open carry of firearms is for the most part, legal in Kentucky, the statutes focus on concealed carry.
Um … what? It’s difficult to believe that the government wrote something like this. In adjacent paragraphs, they wrote the words “simply put, it isn’t illegal to openly carry firearms,” and “open carry of firearms is for the most part, legal in Kentucky.”
My dog could do a better job than that. Maybe some open carriers can come in and clean this up for us, or perhaps you need to be exercising your right to openly carry more in Kentucky, and perhaps that’s the next confusion the legislature should get cleared up.
It sounds like the congress-critters and state lawyers have been taking drugs. Somebody do an intervention, please.