OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) Several new laws take effect tomorrow in Kentucky. One of them is the controversial changes to conceal carry laws, where Kentuckians don’t need a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The General Assembly approved the changes earlier this year.
Sales are about the same at Whittaker Guns since the concealed carry bill was approved by lawmakers this past spring.
“We haven’t seen any spike, any rise, any decline in any of that stuff,” said Darrik Caraway, co-owner of Whittaker Guns in Daviess County. He also says customers keep asking about the changes.
“They basically said, ‘So I don’t have to have a permit anymore?’, and we’ve been encouraging them to go ahead and get the certification in the class because it allows them to carry in other states,” Caraway says.
The law allows Kentuckians to conceal carry within the state without a permit or training. But you’ll still need a permit to carry a concealed weapon outside Kentucky.
“Any state that is a reciprocal state, which many of the states are, you will be required to have that concealed weapons carry permit to travel in Indiana, Tennessee,” says Maj. Barry Smith of the Daviess Co. Sheriff’s Office.
He also says the department is still issuing permits and hasn’t seen much change in the number of people applying for them. Both he, and Caraway, still recommend people get a permit and get trained.
“Make sure they’re familiar with it, make sure they’ve shot it, just to start carrying a weapon you’re not familiar with or not comfortable with would not be a good thing for anyone,” Maj. Smith says.
“I still think that most of the people that intend to carry concealed are going to go ahead with the permit process simply because they’ll be legal in other states,” adds Caraway.
Major Smith adds while the department had concerns over deputies ability to know if someone is carrying concealed, they don’t plan to change tactics on how they approached a stopped motorist.
