What's going on here?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35819673/ns/us_news-life/
More at the link.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35819673/ns/us_news-life/
Utah, Florida help non-residents pack guns
Why two states’ permits are such hot tickets for concealed-carry crowd
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.
“Protect your family when traveling!” shouts a headline on one of dozens of Web sites that offer training and help with the paperwork to obtain the Utah and Florida permits. “You don’t have to be a resident of Utah or Florida!”
The non-resident permits are roundly criticized by gun-control advocates, who see the states that issue them as tools of groups like the National Rifle Association.
More at the link.