I knew California, Hawaii, New Jersey, and New York were nearly impossible to get CCW licenses in. Yeah, CA wasn’t bad if you live in the correct county. And New York would issue you a permit if you paid a lawyer enough money to make the appropriate bribe(s). I had not looked into the process of many of the others.
Not that I have a desire to visit let alone get a Delaware license (I’m covered by my Idaho and Utah licenses anyway) but things are pretty messed up there. It’s a six step process. This includes (highlighting added):
Step 2: Collect References
Delaware’s laws require you to produce five references. They must answer the questions on the Delaware concealed carry reference form. These are the main requirements for a reference to be valid:
Cannot be related to you.
Cannot live at the same address as you.
Must have known the person for at least a year.
Reference must reside in the same county.
Reference must be at least 18 years old.
It may strengthen your odds of approval if one or more of your references hold a distinguished title. For example, your application may be viewed more favorably if references from an attorney and a senator accompany it. Your references must declare why you want a permit, and they can simply state that you want it to protect yourself or your family. The reference form should state that you are seeking a Delaware concealed carry permit, are of legal age and are of good moral character.
Step 3: Publish Your Intention
Once you have your five references, you need to publish your intent.
…
The published notice of your intent to seek a permit should include your full name.
The notice should appear in a newspaper or publication that has a sizable reach in your zip code. For example, it is better to publish it in the main newspaper in your area than it is to publish it in a free circular that targets a niche audience. We recommend publishing in the News Journal because it is the main newspaper for all three counties,
References should include an attorney and a senator? Publish your intention in a wide coverage publication to get a license?
Wow! SCOTUS needs to slap this law down hard when they rule in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.
I moved there from PA.
I am waiting for the SCOTUS case before I spend more money/effort on it.
Unlike NY, NJ, and MD you’ll probably get it after jumping all the hoops.
I am holding out hope that it won’t be a Roberts, Obamacare dicta and it will be written by Thomas or Alito..
Hmmm…..SCOTUS, Federalism, state legislatures, state courts, Congress…..
Historically, people have always been ahead of institutions, especially in individual-operated, freedom-based societies. Given firearm sales records (2021 is shaping up to be the 2nd highest sales year ever, close on the heels of 2020) people are way, way ahead of the institutions upon which they are supposed to (expected to?) depend in this particular arena. I wonder if the institutions understand that and if so, to what degree; people aren’t buying guns because of some altruistic desire to support the gun industry, to be part of the “in” crowd, or lighten their pockets, but because the institutions have failed the people in the most basic ways.
Institutions can “regulate” to their hearts’ content but there will come a point at which people will no longer need many of the institutions; I suspect in several civilizational areas we’re approaching that inflection point.
NY State is like California in that in the more rural counties it is easier to get an unrestricted pistol permit, which acts as a CCW permit, and is good everywhere in the state *EXCEPT* New York City which has its own rules. An NYC permit (rare as hens teeth and only the very well connected can get) is valid in the entire state, however.
The real problem in New York is that you need a pistol permit just to own a handgun. This is even true about an antique or replica flintlock pistol if you have the ammunition to load them. If no ammo, ie., just for display, no permit required. This has led to the farce of me buying round ball in Vermont to compete with my flintlock pistol, and because Vermont has always been constitution carry, I could carry it loaded. But I have to unload the gun and get rid of the bullets before I cross back into New York to remain legal.
The permit process is long, expensive, and intrusive. It requires fingerprints, a background check, at least 3 references (and they do check, I’ve been called for my neighbors when they got their permits)., and generally they are restricted to “hunting and target shooting only” unless you ask for an unrestricted permit. Some counties require that you have a “good reason” (like you carry lots of cash or are otherwise likely to be targeted), and for others just a desire for protecting yourself and your family is enough.
Every pistol you own must be registered.
Also, they can revoke you pistol permit for relatively minor legal transgressions. Once your permit has been revoked, though, you can’t own *ANY* firearms in NYS. That is a real problem.
Once NYSRPA v. Bruen is decided, if it goes the way I think it will, then I might consider getting a permit. I haven’t because of all the reasons up above, plus I have a real problem with requiring an expensive and hard to get permit to exercise a constitutional right.
I’ve never applied for a Maryland permit because a permit denial can cause problems in getting a permit in other states. If you are denied a permit, even for administrative reasons in another state, you can not get a permit in other states. I did not want to risk my out-of-state permits to take a stand on principle.
“Once you have your five references, you need to publish your intent.
…
The published notice of your intent to seek a permit should include your full name.
The notice should appear in a newspaper or publication that has a sizable reach in your zip code. ”
Do they call that one the “please burglarize my house” provision?
Nothing like advertising in the newspaper that you have guns in your house.
This 110%
If there are instances of burglaries based on this provision you would never be allowed to know.
In NY, there is variation in those procedures from county to county. When I lived in Madison County, the procedure was much like what is reported here, without the newspaper posting. Same in Onondaga County (Syracuse). But Utica, the judge issued permits with no restrictions, apparently endured a lawsuit from an applicant.
The Madison County judge responded to my letter—I hadn’t lived there 5 years and knew only next-door neighbors—by allowing me to cite references from Onondaga County next door.
Chuck Schumer was elected to the US Senate that year, and my job dried up and blew away, so I didn’t stay in NY long enough to finish the process.
NH is now Constitutional Carry, but they still do permits (still on a Shall Issue basis) for reciprocity and other purposes. There’s an interesting twist in the process: the law explicitly forbids any place from making up its own rules or using its own forms. It seems that was done to make sure some left-wing towns don’t add burdens like fingerprinting. I think NH asks for references but they are optional. I did one or two in years past.
In Virginia, the CHP process is handled through the local courts. Before the gun-rights folks (vcdl.org) were finally able to change the law, those records were just as public as every other court record, like property transfers, wills, etc.
The local newspaper used to have an employee dedicated to the once-a-month task of taking a whole day driving around to the courthouses in each of about 5 local coverage jurisdictions for the sole purpose of collecting the list of that month’s “new” CHP holders. They would compile the list, including names and the streets they lived on, and publish it in the newspaper.
You better believe that was an effort to discourage people from getting that CHP. Fortunately, as I mentioned, the General Assembly FINALLY exempted those records from the curious public eye.