August 18th, 2017 by WCBC Radio
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced that a recent agreement means concealed carry handgun permits issued by West Virginia or Wisconsin will be mutually recognized as valid by either state.
“I take protecting the Second Amendment rights of legal gun owners seriously,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “Residents of West Virginia and those who visit here should be able to exercise their right to bear arms.”
Morrisey said mutual recognition is another positive step for legal gun owners living in West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office recently engaged in talks with Wisconsin regarding the potential establishment of mutual recognition between the respective states. A letter from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker then provided the statutory notice required for West Virginia to mutually recognize Wisconsin’s concealed carry permits.
West Virginia license holders had been long able to carry concealed handguns in Wisconsin. This agreement allows those from Wisconsin visiting West Virginia to now enjoy the same freedom.
The agreement also underscores the benefit of having a concealed carry license. Even though West Virginians are allowed to carry concealed handguns without a license within the Mountain State, such authorization is still required for out-of-state travel.
West Virginia residents with a valid concealed carry license may legally carry a concealed handgun in states with full reciprocity agreements, as well as those states whose laws do not require a formal agreement and automatically recognize valid out-of-state concealed handgun licenses.
West Virginia has full handgun reciprocity agreements or mutual recognition with Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
West Virginian license holders also can carry concealed in Montana, although residents of Montana do not enjoy the same freedom in West Virginia.
Additionally, many West Virginians may carry concealed without a license in Maine and Vermont making for a total of 37 states.
Those holding a provisional concealed handgun license in West Virginia, ages 18 to 20, should realize not all of the above states recognize provisional concealed handgun licenses.
For full information regarding West Virginia concealed handgun licenses, please visit the Attorney General’s Gun Reciprocity page at www.wvago.gov.
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