There’s Another Reason Why Nebraskans Aren’t Getting Gun Permits Anymore

Nebraska has constitutional carry. It’s not a state I actually expected to go as long as it did before adopting it, either, but it’s also kind of a weird state politically which can create some unusual circumstances. Those circumstances seemed to delay permitless carry, but it was never going to stop it.

Now, it has it as do 28 other states. In fact, most of the country is permitless carry of some description. It’s only the anti-gun holdouts that still say you have to have a permit.

As a result, it seems Nebraskans aren’t getting permits.

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.

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.

And because so many other states have permitless carry, it seems that a lot of people are opting not to get permits in the first place.

Anti-gunners are, of course, very upset by this because they want everyone to have to have a permit, in part because then the police can walk up to someone and demand to see that permit. Sure, that might catch criminals, but it also treats law-abiding citizens exercising their constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms as if they’re the criminals. 

But there’s another reason I suspect a lot of people aren’t getting permits following constitutional carry passing.

Look at those requirements for a moment. I don’t know about you, but I’m not spending $100 on a permit I don’t need, nor am I going to spend the money required for a mandatory training class. Especially since many in Nebraska don’t exactly live next door to training facilities nor state patrol offices where they can file for a permit. From what some in the state have told me, it can be a bit of a road trip to carry out these requirements, which means gas costs have to be included because it’s probably a non-trivial expense.

Since folks there don’t have to have one, they’re just not bothering.

If it’s that important, then make it easier to get one. It’s just that simple. Since that won’t happen, folks will just have to learn to deal with it.