Paul Hammel
LINCOLN — Advocates for removing the requirement for a state permit to carry a concealed handgun argued that Nebraska gun owners would still obtain the license because it lets them legally carry in some other states.
But state statistics indicate that hasn’t been the case.
A year and three months after Nebraska became the 27th state to allow carrying concealed handguns without requiring state-mandated training and paying a $100 fee, the number of people applying for a permit has dropped significantly.
Major change
Less than half as many applicants applied for the permit during the first 11 months of 2024. Only 1,690 applications were filed in Nebraska. That’s down from the 4,002 applications for the permits over the same 11 months in 2023.
The 2024 total is more than four times lower than during the same period in 2022, when 6,939 applications were filed, according to the Nebraska State Patrol, which administers the program.
Fewer renewals of concealed carry permits, too
The number of Nebraskans with active concealed carry permits also declined this year. There were 87,470 on Dec. 1, compared with 90,296 a year ago, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
A decline in renewals for concealed carry permits might explain some of that drop. There were 7,717 applications this year to renew permits compared to 12,472 in 2023.
That means nearly 5,000 permit holders allowed their permits to expire.
State law changed to allow “permit-less carry” on Sept. 2, 2023. The previous year, 2022, was the last in which the permit law was required throughout the full 11-month period.
Today, 29 states allow carrying concealed weapons without a permit or training after Louisiana and South Carolina adopted laws this year, according to U.S. Concealed Carry Association.
Driving the decrease
A leading advocate for gun rights says fewer people are applying because they don’t have to pay a feee now to carry concealed.
An official with a national gun control advocacy group says the decline in training and permits translates into safety issues and trouble for law enforcement.
“Make no mistake: Communities suffer when states go ‘permit-less,’” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, senior director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Permits increase safety by requiring applicants to complete safety training, a criminal background check and other steps such as live-fire instruction.”
Burd-Sharps said doing away with handgun permits hampers law enforcement from asking “someone to produce a permit,” even when they believe someone may be breaking the law.
State Sen. Tom Brewer, who represents north-central Nebraska, sponsored the “constitutional carry” law in Nebraska. He said a decline in concealed carry permits was expected, though he was surprised at how steeply applications had declined.
Eliminating the need to make a “financial investment” to purchase a permit is the major reason, Brewer said.
Dick Clark, an aide to Brewer and a private attorney who handles gun rights cases, said the addition of more states with “permit-less carry” has reduced the incentive for gun owners to obtain a Nebraska concealed carry permit for reciprocity.
“It’s a different environment,” Clark said.
Brewer, who is leaving the Legislature because of term limits, said he has seen no statistics showing an increase in gun safety issues since Nebraska went “permit-less.” But if data shows that happened, he said senators might need to look at it.
Brewer and Clark continue to encourage people to seek a state permit, especially those not proficient in handling a handgun.
Burd-Sharps, of Everytown for Gun Safety, said after Tennessee went “permit-less,” gun thefts from vehicles in cities across the state nearly tripled, and gun homicides increased. Stolen guns, she added, often end up “at crime scenes.”
Other states have seen steep declines in filing for concealed handgun permits after doing away with the requirement, according to Everytown. Two years after Ohio passed its “permit-less” carry law, applications for concealed handgun permits were 16% of what they had been two years prior. In Tennessee, applications dropped more than 50%.