Changes

'''Open carry''' laws guarantee the right of citizens to openly carry a gun virtually anywhere, provided they have the right to own a gun.  Note that it may be necessary to obtain a permit first.

'''Open carry''' laws guarantee the right of citizens to openly carry a gun virtually anywhere, provided they have the right to own a gun.  Note that it may be necessary to obtain a permit first.  "Open carry" is in contrast with "[[concealed carry]]," whereby the gun is concealed from view by others.

The vast majority of states in the [[United States]] have open-carry laws, only some of which require a special permit to do it.<ref>http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/map-where-is-open-carry-legal-1715/</ref>  Effective Jan. 1, 2016, Texas became the largest state to legalize open carry.

The vast majority of states in the [[United States]] have open-carry laws, only some of which require a special permit to do it.<ref>https://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/map-where-is-open-carry-legal-1715/</ref>  Effective Jan. 1, 2016, Texas became the largest state to legalize open carry.

=Open carry around the world=

=Open carry around the world=

There are millions of privately owned guns, in the majority of countries (see: [[List of countries by gun ownership]], for details), but national and local gun laws vary widely. In some countries, open carry has a long-standing tradition, is legal, and is still a commonplace sight in rural areas, as part of "strong hunting traditions." But elsewhere, such as in most of Europe except Finland and Switzerland, laws have been enacted to require registration of firearms.<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/the-killing-fields-europes-hunting-season-begins-861133.html</ref><ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/29/AR2007042900133.html</ref> Social stigma<ref>http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112417623/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0</ref><ref>http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15693719M</ref> is also a factor in Europe, where gun owners are often distrusted by both government leaders and fellow citizens.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/world/europe/29iht-29union.4.8530991.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://lawreview.wustl.edu/inprint/75-3/753-4.html,</ref><ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492612/Your-guns-violent-Remembrance-Day-mayor-tells-rifle-regiment.html</ref> Tens of millions of guns are held privately and kept hidden in defiance of registration laws in Europe, with many of them dating back to World War II.<ref>http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/sas/publications/year_b_pdf/2003/2003SASCh2_full_en.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/31/finland-shooting-gun-laws</ref> But, obviously, those cannot be carried publicly or taken to a public shooting range.<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-536-Civil-Liberties-Examiner~y2008m12d22-Gun-laws-and-crime-rates-dont-always-mix-the-way-you-expect</ref><ref>http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100014_16/08/2005_59656</ref>

There are millions of privately owned guns, in the majority of countries (see: [[List of countries by gun ownership]], for details), but national and local gun laws vary widely. In some countries, open carry has a long-standing tradition, is legal, and is still a commonplace sight in rural areas, as part of "strong hunting traditions." But elsewhere, such as in most of Europe except Finland and Switzerland, laws have been enacted to require registration of firearms.<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/the-killing-fields-europes-hunting-season-begins-861133.html</ref><ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/29/AR2007042900133.html</ref> Social stigma<ref>http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112417623/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0</ref><ref>http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15693719M</ref> is also a factor in Europe, where gun owners are often distrusted by both government leaders and fellow citizens.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/world/europe/29iht-29union.4.8530991.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://lawreview.wustl.edu/inprint/75-3/753-4.html,</ref><ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492612/Your-guns-violent-Remembrance-Day-mayor-tells-rifle-regiment.html</ref> Tens of millions of guns are held privately and kept hidden in defiance of registration laws in Europe, with many of them dating back to World War II.<ref>http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/sas/publications/year_b_pdf/2003/2003SASCh2_full_en.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/31/finland-shooting-gun-laws</ref> But, obviously, those cannot be carried publicly or taken to a public shooting range.<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-536-Civil-Liberties-Examiner~y2008m12d22-Gun-laws-and-crime-rates-dont-always-mix-the-way-you-expect</ref><ref>http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100014_16/08/2005_59656</ref>

 

 

In some countries, firearms laws are consciously and even contemptuously ignored by the citizenry, who see the right to own and carry firearms as a traditional right that pre-dates the advent of government.<ref>http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/artic/gdn30.htm</ref> The latter is typified in the Philippines<ref>http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/views-and-analysis/07/16/09/guns-galore-miriam-coronel-ferrer</ref> and in Yemen,<ref name="arabinsight.org">http://www.arabinsight.org/aiarticles/182.pdf</ref> where there are millions of unregistered firearms, and where provincial law enforcement officers often make no attempt to enforce national firearms laws, with many considering the laws intrusive and dictatorial.<ref>http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN480485.htm</ref><ref>[http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/08/05/Gun-ban-in-Yemen-ineffective/UPI-13171249492827/ "Gun ban in Yemen ineffective" UPI online edition]</ref>

In some countries, firearms laws are consciously and even contemptuously ignored by the citizenry, who see the right to own and carry firearms as a traditional right that pre-dates the advent of government.<ref>http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/artic/gdn30.htm</ref> The latter is typified in the Philippines<ref>http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/views-and-analysis/07/16/09/guns-galore-miriam-coronel-ferrer</ref> and in Yemen,<ref name="arabinsight.org">http://www.arabinsight.org/aiarticles/182.pdf</ref> where there are millions of unregistered firearms, and where provincial law enforcement officers often make no attempt to enforce national firearms laws, with many considering the laws intrusive and dictatorial.<ref>http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN480485.htm</ref><ref>[https://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/08/05/Gun-ban-in-Yemen-ineffective/UPI-13171249492827/ "Gun ban in Yemen ineffective" UPI online edition]</ref>

 

 

== Open carry in Africa ==

== Open carry in Africa ==

The private ownership and open carry of small arms is commonly seen in a number of African countries including Burundi,<ref>http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no4/154arms.htm,</ref> Chad,<ref>http://select.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/opinion/14kristof.html?_r=1</ref> the Democratic Republic of Congo,<ref>[http://www.examner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m8d16-An-African-villages-armed-self-defense-story "An African village’s armed self defense story" exainer.com]</ref><ref>http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/08/congo_on_the_trgen.html</ref> Eritrea,<ref>http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/926/2/</ref> Ethiopia,<ref>http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35148&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=83faf38f19</ref> Kenya,<ref>http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/10361.html</ref><ref name="allafrica.com">http://allafrica.com/stories/200804250081.html</ref> Mali,<ref>http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no4/154arms.htm</ref> Niger,<ref>http://www.the-diplomat.com/article.aspx?aeid=3608</ref> Rwanda,<ref>[http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/verbatim/16134/arms-transfers-and-trafficking-in-africa.html "Arms Transfers and Trafficking in Africa" www.defense-aerospace.com]</ref><ref>http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-274047.html</ref> Sierra Leone,<ref>http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/choices-choosing-development-over-guns-in-sierra-leone-2004-12.en;jsessionid=ax8XXhk63Co_?categoryID=349627&lang=en</ref> Somalia,<ref>http://huwu.org/webcast/pdfs/wc969.pdf</ref> South Africa,<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m6d29-South-Africa-gun-owners-get-reprieve</ref> Sudan.,<ref>http://newledger.com/2009/07/the-guns-of-sudan/</ref><ref>http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/206/39700.html,</ref> Uganda,<ref name="web.africa.ufl.edu">http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v1/1/3.htm</ref><ref name="web.africa.ufl.edu"/> and Zambia.<ref>http://www.globalaging.org/armedconflict/countryreports/africa/war.htm</ref> In Somalia, boys as young as nine years old are seen carrying loaded guns.<ref>[http://www.thestar.com/article/168129 "Saving Somalia's youth from the gun" ''Toronto Star'' online edition]</ref> The reasons for the proliferation of arms vary, but often include self-defense, hunting, and protection of livestock.<ref>http://www.scribd.com/doc/4684113/The-Scramble-for-Cattle-Power-and-Guns-in-Karamoja</ref><ref>[http://www.tve.org/earthreport/archive/doc.cfm?aid=1343 "Earth Report" Television for the Environment and Television Trust for the Environment Web site]</ref> In some African countries such as Kenya and Rwanda, owning and carrying guns is done in defiance of national laws.<ref name="allafrica.com"/>

The private ownership and open carry of small arms is commonly seen in a number of African countries including Burundi,<ref>https://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no4/154arms.htm,</ref> Chad,<ref>http://select.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/opinion/14kristof.html?_r=1</ref> the Democratic Republic of Congo,<ref>[http://www.examner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m8d16-An-African-villages-armed-self-defense-story "An African village’s armed self defense story" exainer.com]</ref><ref>https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/08/congo_on_the_trgen.html</ref> Eritrea,<ref>http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/926/2/</ref> Ethiopia,<ref>http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35148&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=83faf38f19</ref> Kenya,<ref>http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/10361.html</ref><ref name="allafrica.com">http://allafrica.com/stories/200804250081.html</ref> Mali,<ref>https://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no4/154arms.htm</ref> Niger,<ref>http://www.the-diplomat.com/article.aspx?aeid=3608</ref> Rwanda,<ref>[http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/verbatim/16134/arms-transfers-and-trafficking-in-africa.html "Arms Transfers and Trafficking in Africa" www.defense-aerospace.com]</ref><ref>http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-274047.html</ref> Sierra Leone,<ref>http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/choices-choosing-development-over-guns-in-sierra-leone-2004-12.en;jsessionid=ax8XXhk63Co_?categoryID=349627&lang=en</ref> Somalia,<ref>http://huwu.org/webcast/pdfs/wc969.pdf</ref> South Africa,<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m6d29-South-Africa-gun-owners-get-reprieve</ref> Sudan.,<ref>http://newledger.com/2009/07/the-guns-of-sudan/</ref><ref>http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/206/39700.html,</ref> Uganda,<ref name="web.africa.ufl.edu">http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v1/1/3.htm</ref><ref name="web.africa.ufl.edu"/> and Zambia.<ref>http://www.globalaging.org/armedconflict/countryreports/africa/war.htm</ref> In Somalia, boys as young as nine years old are seen carrying loaded guns.<ref>[http://www.thestar.com/article/168129 "Saving Somalia's youth from the gun" ''Toronto Star'' online edition]</ref> The reasons for the proliferation of arms vary, but often include self-defense, hunting, and protection of livestock.<ref>https://www.scribd.com/doc/4684113/The-Scramble-for-Cattle-Power-and-Guns-in-Karamoja</ref><ref>[http://www.tve.org/earthreport/archive/doc.cfm?aid=1343 "Earth Report" Television for the Environment and Television Trust for the Environment Web site]</ref> In some African countries such as Kenya and Rwanda, owning and carrying guns is done in defiance of national laws.<ref name="allafrica.com"/>

 

 

In some cases villagers carry small arms to protect themselves from marauding bands of soldiers,<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m8d16-An-African-villages-armed-self-defense-story</ref> lions,<ref>http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1022089</ref> and even against genocide.<ref>http://www.frontline.org.za/books_videos/holocaust_rwanda.htm</ref><ref>http://www.davekopel.com/2a/foreign-gun-control.htm</ref>

In some cases villagers carry small arms to protect themselves from marauding bands of soldiers,<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m8d16-An-African-villages-armed-self-defense-story</ref> lions,<ref>http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1022089</ref> and even against genocide.<ref>http://www.frontline.org.za/books_videos/holocaust_rwanda.htm</ref><ref>http://www.davekopel.com/2a/foreign-gun-control.htm</ref>

== Open carry in Asia ==

== Open carry in Asia ==

In Afghanistan weapon ownership is common<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/hamid-karzai-ashraf-ghani_n_253812.html</ref> some of the rural and border states and union territories of India,<ref>http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10342395.html</ref><ref>http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/29gun.htm</ref><ref>http://www.indianexpress.com/news/villagers-pick-up-guns-for-a-road/28418/</ref> Iraq,<ref>http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/world/worldspecial/03guns.html?fta=y&pagewanted=print</ref> Israel,<ref>http://www.fmep.org/reports/archive/vol.-4/no.-3/israels-policy-of-arming-israeli-settlers-endangers-palestinians-in-the-territories</ref> Lebanon,<ref>http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=15503</ref> Pakistan<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0304/p06s01-wosc.html "Pakistani vigilantes take on Taliban" ''The Christian Science'' online edition]</ref><ref>http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1248187395098&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout</ref> (in flagrant disobedience to the "public display" ban enacted in 2000),<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/gun-ban-to-quell-violence-in-pakistan-721983.html</ref> Sri Lanka,<ref>http://sundaytimes.lk/080120/Columns/sitreport.html</ref> the predominantly Kurdish provinces of Turkey,<ref>http://www.vagabondjourney.com/travelogue/2009/03/guns-in-turkish-kurdistan.html</ref> and Yemen.<ref name="arabinsight.org"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1775938.stm "Yemen's weapon culture" BBC News online edition]</ref> In Iraq, doctors may carry guns for self-protection.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26947184/ "Iraq says doctors can carry guns for protection" msnbc.com]</ref>

In Afghanistan weapon ownership is common<ref>https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/hamid-karzai-ashraf-ghani_n_253812.html</ref> some of the rural and border states and union territories of India,<ref>http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10342395.html</ref><ref>http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/29gun.htm</ref><ref>http://www.indianexpress.com/news/villagers-pick-up-guns-for-a-road/28418/</ref> Iraq,<ref>http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/world/worldspecial/03guns.html?fta=y&pagewanted=print</ref> Israel,<ref>http://www.fmep.org/reports/archive/vol.-4/no.-3/israels-policy-of-arming-israeli-settlers-endangers-palestinians-in-the-territories</ref> Lebanon,<ref>http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=15503</ref> Pakistan<ref>[https://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0304/p06s01-wosc.html "Pakistani vigilantes take on Taliban" ''The Christian Science'' online edition]</ref><ref>http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1248187395098&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout</ref> (in flagrant disobedience to the "public display" ban enacted in 2000),<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/gun-ban-to-quell-violence-in-pakistan-721983.html</ref> Sri Lanka,<ref>http://sundaytimes.lk/080120/Columns/sitreport.html</ref> the predominantly Kurdish provinces of Turkey,<ref>http://www.vagabondjourney.com/travelogue/2009/03/guns-in-turkish-kurdistan.html</ref> and Yemen.<ref name="arabinsight.org"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1775938.stm "Yemen's weapon culture" BBC News online edition]</ref> In Iraq, doctors may carry guns for self-protection.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26947184/ "Iraq says doctors can carry guns for protection" msnbc.com]</ref>

 

 

== Open carry in Latin America ==

== Open carry in Latin America ==

Open carry of firearms is fairly common, and predominantly a practice of middle and upper class residents in the rural regions of many Central American and South American countries, primarily for self-defense. Doing so is legal in most Latin American jurisdictions, but laws on registration and vehicular carry vary widely. Open carry is rare in cities, where concealed carry is more commonplace. These countries include Brazil,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4368598.stm "Brazilians reject gun sales ban" BBC News online edition]</ref> Colombia,<ref>http://advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rgerome/lang/en-us/blog/2009/07/01/spotlight-on-guns-in-colombia/</ref> Ecuador,<ref>http://www.newwest.net/city/article/when_clouds_clear/C8/L8/</ref> El Salvador,<ref>http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1109.html</ref> Guyana,<ref>http://guyana360.blogspot.com/2006/08/degeneration-of-guyanese-society.html</ref> Honduras,<ref>http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/2007/02/guns-everywhere.html</ref> and Nicaragua.<ref>http://www.nicaliving.com/node/737</ref>

Open carry of firearms is fairly common, and predominantly a practice of middle and upper-class residents in the rural regions of many Central American and South American countries, primarily for self-defense. Doing so is legal in most Latin American jurisdictions, but laws on registration and vehicular carry vary widely. Open carry is rare in cities, where concealed carry is more commonplace. These countries include Brazil,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4368598.stm "Brazilians reject gun sales ban" BBC News online edition]</ref> Colombia,<ref>http://advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rgerome/lang/en-us/blog/2009/07/01/spotlight-on-guns-in-colombia/</ref> Ecuador,<ref>http://www.newwest.net/city/article/when_clouds_clear/C8/L8/</ref> El Salvador,<ref>http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1109.html</ref> Guyana,<ref>http://guyana360.blogspot.com/2006/08/degeneration-of-guyanese-society.html</ref> Honduras,<ref>http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/2007/02/guns-everywhere.html</ref> and Nicaragua.<ref>http://www.nicaliving.com/node/737</ref>

 

 

== Open carry in Oceania ==

== Open carry in Oceania ==

== References ==

== References ==

 

[[Category:Gun Control]]

[[Category:Gun Control]]

[[Category:Second Amendment]]

[[Category:Second Amendment]]