Federal court overturns DC concealed carry ban

[Lonestar]

DC currently is "Vermont Carry".

A Federal court overturned the standing District ban on carrying firearms outside of the home. Specifically, handguns for personal protection(OCing of longarms is still illegal, as the court ruling only addressed the handgun ordinance). MPD Chief Lanier issued instructions to her officers to not arrest folks for carrying handguns if they (1)have their firearm registration card with them if they are a resident and (2)Can legally carry in their state of residence.

This is actually a BFD, since DC is essentially now permit-less "Vermont Carry" rules, minus the registration card. This will likely change when the city council gets around to deciding how the CCW permitting process works, with both resident and non-resident permits. Your guess is as good as mine when that'll happen.

[Esquire]

This is a little off-topic, but why are concealed-carry permits a thing, as opposed to open-carry? If people want to plead the Second Amendment, fine, but when did the idea that everybody should be able to walk around secretly armed with a deadly weapon come into fashion?

[Lonestar]

This is a little off-topic, but why are concealed-carry permits a thing, as opposed to open-carry? If people want to plead the Second Amendment, fine, but when did the idea that everybody should be able to walk around secretly armed with a deadly weapon come into fashion?

Well, for one thing open-carry isn't a thing in every state. Some prohibit it entirely, prohibit it unless you have a CHP, or specify the areas you can open carry(in California's case, the backcountry).

For another, the reason why Open-carry laws exist are to make carrying in the backcountry easier, transporting firearms easier, and to prevent concealed carry folks from getting hit by brandishing charges if they are getting out of their car and their firearm is accidently exposed or something. The laws aren't really intended to be there for self defense in populated areas.

You know how the open-carry crowd has been in the news lately? Because their "activism" makes people uncomfortable, indeed even when they aren't swinging their guns at the low-ready it can be uncomfortable for many people and be considered disruptive to the peace or brandishing or something. Maybe some kid sees your handgun and reaches for it while you aren't noticing. Point is, being visibly armed in a populated area tends to Cause Problems that concealed carry doesn't.

[Esquire]

That makes sense - I hadn't considered that concealed-carry might have been arrived at from the other direction, as it were. Thanks for the explanation.