The standard concealed carry map floating around shows states in a few broad categories: may-issue, shall-issue, and permitless. It’s a good map at a glance, but it lacks useful information on the actual experience of carry. Since I just got back from a vacation, and didn’t want to do any real writing work, I went ahead and put together an improved map.

Notes

• Onerous shall-issue means states with a waiting period in excess of two weeks, a training requirement, or an application fee of greater than $100.
• Permissive shall-issue states impose lesser requirements.
• De facto shall-issue states are statutorily may-issue, but shall-issue in practice.
• Onerous may-issue states deny carry permits as a matter of course.

• MA and NY: rural sheriffs likely to issue permits, but urban-dwellers basically out of luck.

• PA: processing time of up to 45 days allowed, but most counties issue permits immediately.
• WI: average processing time of about one week.
• WA: average processing time appears to be under one week, except in the Seattle area.
• SD: temporary permit issued within five days.

If you see an inaccuracy or a point in need of clarification, leave us a comment!