Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky has signed the state’s Senate Bill 150, allowing the permitless concealed carry of firearms starting in July. The Courier Journal reports:
Gov. Matt Bevin signed into law Monday a bill that lets people carry a concealed gun without getting a permit or completing a background check and safety training first.
Senate Bill 150 was backed by the National Rifle Association but opposed by groups such as Louisville Metro Police and the Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police.
State law had required people to get a permit before carrying a concealed firearm.
That process involved undergoing a background check, completing some gun safety training and paying a $60 fee.
SB 150 axes the permit requirement for anyone who’s at least 21 years old and who meets other legal rules for gun ownership.
Proponents of SB 150, such as lead sponsor Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, noted that people in Kentucky already are allowed to openly carry a gun without a permit.
They also pointed to the current permit process and mandatory fees as barriers that prevent poor people — and especially poor minorities — from carrying a concealed firearm for self-defense.
Bevin has worked hard to protect the Second Amendment rights of Kentuckians, and more governors and legislators should look to their Kentucky counterparts for inspiration. This isn’t Bevin’s first big win for freedom. In 2017 he delivered on his campaign promise to make Kentucky a Right to Work state, freeing Kentuckians from the threat of forced unionism.
Read more from the Courier Journal here.
Bevin recently spoke to the CPAC conference. Watch his speech below:
