you have to be 21 to open carry a handgun in wisconsin.
how old do you have to be to open carry a handgun in wisconsin?
21
however, some confusion still existed. on july 8, 2013, arkansas attorney general dustin mcdaniel issued an opinion stating that act 746 did not authorize open carry. on august 18, 2015, arkansas attorney general leslie rutledge issued a different opinion, saying that open carry of a weapon following act 746's passage is now generally legal, provided that the person has no intent to unlawfully employ said weapon. rutledge also opined that, while mere possession of a loaded handgun was formerly sufficient to establish "intent to employ" it as a weapon, such possession is now no longer sufficient to convict someone under § 5-73-120. rather, the state must now additionally prove intent to unlawfully use the weapon. however, rutledge also opined that concealed carry generally remains illegal without a permit. because act 746 did not remove or modify the other sections of arkansas law pertaining to issuing concealed weapons permits, she concluded that possession of a concealed weapon without a permit could be construed as meeting the "unlawful purpose" requirement. however, various firearms groups disputed this opinion and argued that, because § 5-73-120 (and specifically subsection (a)) permits unlicensed open carry, the same legal logic would dictate that concealed carry without a permit would also be legal. further adding to the confusion was the fact that act 746 changed the list of § 5-73-120 exceptions, including possession while on a journey and possession of a concealed handgun with a concealed handgun permit, from a list of "affirmative defenses" to a list of "permissible circumstances." rutledge noted in her opinion that such change could be construed as creating a "non-exhaustive list of circumstances under which it is permissible to carry a handgun," thereby permitting a person to assert additional circumstances not spelled out in the statute. she also noted that future legislation would be the best solution to clear up the confusion that act 746 has caused.
constitutional carry
new mexico is a "shall-issue" state for the concealed carry of handguns, and permits the open carry of loaded firearms without a permit. a new mexico concealed handgun license (chl) is required by in-state residents to carry in a concealed manner a loaded handgun while on foot. per state law, a firearm is considered "loaded" when a magazine with live ammunition is inserted into the weapon and/or a live round is in the firing chamber. (citation needed) additionally, state law (nmsa 29-19-2) defines a concealed handgun as "a loaded handgun that is not visible to the ordinary observations of a reasonable person." this definition creates legal ambiguity for partially-exposed weapons, as the firearm may be visible to one person and thus no violation of law occurs since it would be viewed as open carry. however, the same partially-exposed weapon may not be readily visible to a second person, thus potentially placing the carrying person in violation of the state's concealed carry law if the individual carrying does not have a valid license for concealed carry. a chl is not required for open carry, concealed carry of an unloaded firearm on foot, or concealed carry of a loaded or unloaded firearm while in a vehicle (including motorcycles, bicycles, off-road vehicles, motor homes, or riding a horse). an applicant for a concealed carry permit must be a resident of new mexico and at least 21 years of age. each permit specifies the category and caliber of handgun that may be carried, but is also valid for a smaller caliber. the applicant must complete a state approved training course that includes at least 15 hours of classroom and firing range time, and must pass a shooting proficiency test for that category and caliber of handgun. a permit is valid for four years, but license holders must pass the shooting proficiency test every two years. an applicant may appeal the denial of a concealed handgun license by requesting a hearing before the department of public safety within 35 days of receipt of an order of denial for a chl. an unfavorable ruling on the appeal by the dps may be further appealed through the new mexico courts.
gun laws in new mexico