Major Wyoming Change In Concealed Weapon Permits
 

This means that states such as Colorado, who state for them to honor your concealed weapon permit your state must honor their state's concealed weapon permit. Thus a WY CWP will no longer be honored in Colorado.

State of Wyoming Dave Freudenthal, Governor
Office of the Attorney General
Division of Criminal Investigation Bruce A. Salzburg
Forrest C. Bright, Director Attorney General

MEMORANDUM

TO: All Wyoming Sheriffs
All Wyoming Chiefs of Police

FROM: Forrest C. Bright, Director

DATE: February 12, 2009

RE: Concealed Firearm Permit Reciprocity

I am writing to let all the agencies in Wyoming know of substantial changes resulting from review of other states’ concealed firearm criteria. The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office recently completed examination of the other 49 states statutes for the purpose of honoring concealed firearms permits issued by another state, or reciprocity.

Pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-8-401(a)(iii), Wyoming will recognize a permit from another state that “has laws similar to the provisions of this section, as determined by the attorney general . . ..” The Wyoming Attorney General has determined that with the exception of 8 states, presently all the others concealed firearm permit statutes are not sufficiently similar to Wyoming’s. Specifically, Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-8-104(b)(v) prohibits issuance of a permit to any person who has been convicted of a controlled substance violation, felony or misdemeanor in any jurisdiction. Most other states’ analogous statutes do not.

The Wyoming Attorney General holds that if a misdemeanor drug conviction disqualifies a Wyoming resident, is also needs to disqualify an out-of-state permit holder. Due to the difference in how each state handles controlled substance convictions, Wyoming is also limited in our ability to maintain reciprocity with states we may have previously.

Accordingly, as of March 1, 2009, Wyoming can only honor concealed firearm permits issued by the following states: Connecticut, Ohio, Georgia, Oklahoma, Maryland, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Utah.

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If you are from Wyoming send your state congress critters a e-gram letting them know how you feel & also send one to the Gov, it sure can't hurt, especially since the Atty Gen is appointed by the Gov.

If you are not from Wyoming why not send the Governor a polite e-mail stating how you think/feel about this :U: :U:

House:
Wyoming State Legislature

Senate:
Wyoming State Legislature

Governor:
Wyoming Office of Governor Dave Freudenthal -

Why ask Wy? :) I can see their point. Do you want some out of Stater druggie carrying concealed in WY?

Yep, you are 100% correct.

Who would want a Dr who was convicted of smoking pot 25 years ago & now runs the emergency room in a major city to vacation in your state and carry a concealed weapon. Now substitute Lawyer, Nurse, Teacher, Policeman, Fireman, Sodjer home on leave from Iraq or any number of other honorable professions that one can raise a family and make a good living from.....................

However, you never know that Dr might smoke a bowl and shoot his way into the nearest 711 looking for munchies.....

Hell, would you rather have a X pot smoker carry a concealed weapon he had to take a class for and pass a harsh background check, or would you rather drive down the street with a convicted drunk driver who lost his drivers license but is still drinking and driving.........

This does not pass the BS test.................

Georgia..... I'm good....

BTW what are the requirements to get a permit in Wyo? in GA, as i just renewed mine 4 months ago, you fill out some paperwork, get fingerprinted and in a couple of weeks you get the permit in the mail. this was the same when i initially got mine. they don't require a class, they don't require you to qualify with the gun you will carry..... nothin'..... i really wish they would require that here......

ya dont need a conceled wepons permit in WYO ya can pack one on yer side out in the open........dont hide it

While I see your concern being you pretty much live in Colorado:moon:, personally I think it's a good thing we don't honor their system. Can you go get a permit in Colorado, or do you have to be a resident?

Whitmore, I think you have to be careful with carrying open as some cities have ordinances against open carry, of course I'm no lawyer so I could be way off. I always carry my pistol when I'm in the mountains, more to protect my dog than anything.

Actually, Jackson Hole, Laramie, Cheyenne and Pine Bluff are liberal and getting worse. If you open carry in any of those towns expect somebody to call 911 on you.

I've had the Sheriff called on my in Cheyenne at the Flying J for open carrying while filling the truck full of Diesel. Saw a out of state car pull in by me & all of a sudden they backed up, pulled away & parked out of the way but nobody got out & not long after a Sheriff pulled in & was looking at me. I waved at him, he waved back & drove away :U: :tttt:

The Pine Bluff city attorney has stated anybody open carrying in Pine will be arrested, no questions asked.

:edit:....times are changin I guess:humm:

Why is it a good thing we do not honor our neighbors permits, we honor there drivers licenses & driving is a privilege & not a right guaranteed by the 2nd amendment.

Just like Wyoming, you need to be a resident of Colorado to be issued a permit from Colorado.

Just wait till open carry becomes illegal out in the Mountains...........

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COme on down out of the mountains ya old mountain man :moon::moon:
:pals:

I think Colorado is too lax about drugs, and if this is one way we can differentiate our state from them then so be it. I guess I don't see it as an infringement on our rights, more as us putting our foot down against questionable Coloradans carrying concealed weapons in our state.

So it's fine to take away a Wyoming citizens right to carry in Colorado?

How is that not infringing on my rights...........

You never answered my question about the Dr, or the drunk drivers.

Take a look at how many Drunk Drivers Wyoming has and how lax they are on them. Maybe Colorado, Neb, UT, Montana should all stop honoring WY drivers licenses due to Wyoming having so many drunks drive...........

I have a Non-Resident Florida concealed carry permit. Funny thing is, i live in jersey and the permit is honored is i believe 29 other states. Guess Wy is off the list now :ouch:.

Don't ask me why FL offers a Non-Res permit but i jumped at the chance to get it. I can't even carry in my home state.

I did not answer your question about the doctor or drunk drivers because I don't want to play the game of comparing apples and oranges. My opinion, as a Wyoming resident with several guns, is that this is not an entirely bad bill. Yeah, that sucks we can't go to other states with concealed guns, but the plus side is they can't come here and do it either. I don't trust Colorado's ability to make sure they're not giving permits out to idiots that want to come up here and play rambo because they have a cc permit. What's wrong with my viewpoint?

As far as taking away your right to carry in other states, I see your point, but counter with you can always move to a different state with laws that you like better. I think this bill is about protecting Wyoming, and I support protecting Wyoming rather I support this bill or not, which I honestly don't know if I do or not but I am enjoying hearing your side of this.

Cool. I'm from Ohio so looks ike I'm still good to go when we head out to Wyoming this summer (i hope). Illinois is another story though.:argh:

Apparently enough Wyoming residents feel this is a bad law/ruling as things have changed a tad & it goes to show that Wyoming legislatures and the Governor listen to the people that elect them...........

The original ruling no longer applies and has been tabled:

By statute, Wyoming honors concealed carry permits from other states that have laws similar to Wyoming’s. The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office is undertaking a thorough review of the concealed carry statutes of the 49 other states to determine which states have laws similar to Wyoming’s. Once that review is complete, this website will feature a list of the states from which Wyoming will honor concealed carry permits. Until then, the Division of Criminal Investigation will honor permits from those states with which Wyoming had reciprocity as of January 1, 2009.

Accordingly, Wyoming will continue to recognize concealed firearm permits from the following states. The listing also encompasses those states that have indicated they honor Wyoming permits.

Alaska Louisiana Oklahoma
Alabama Michigan Pennsylvania
Colorado Mississippi South Carolina
Florida Montana South Dakota
Georgia New Hampshire Tennessee
Idaho New Mexico Texas
Indiana Ohio Utah
Kentucky

Concealed Weapons Permit

Would it be better or worse if the feds outlined the requirements for issuing a cc permit so that all states were on the same level? Seems like having the federal boys involved could be scary, but how else can you get all 50 states on the same page?

In Wyoming, we have the most accessible representatives than any other state. I have no doubt that residents have been emailing or calling their reps about this issue, and that their wishes are being looked after. That's how it should be and it makes me proud to live here.

Ahh, the loaded question......

Personally I don't want/see any kind of a need for a national permit according to the 2nd Amendment. Anybody should be able to carry concealed any time they wish if they want. America should be more like Vermont, but is that really possible????

However, the double edged sword comes into play here and I also think some kind of common sense rules/training need to be in place.

There is not a national drivers license and driving is a privilege, every state honors another states drivers license, why would we need a federal permit for something that is a American right.....

I've written & sent e-mails, but have only received a single reply and it was not from somebody in my district who I voted for. Neither of the people in my district who I voted for have replied and neither has the Governor.......

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Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online : Watch what you're packing in other states

Leave comments if you so desire :U::U::U:

First off, Driving isn't a right in the Bill of rights partly because it wasn't even thought of when the BOR was written, cars didn't appear for 130 years...

Second, watch how you interpret the 2nd amendment... Do you even know it off the top of your head? Because it is not simply, "The right to bear arms."

Third, owning a firearm is not a right, its a privilege, ask any felon... You could argue they lost that right, but you can lose your Drivers license too, so whats the difference?

The feds shouldn't have the right to do half of what they do, let alone issue federal CCW permits. The problem with the states having the rights is that they all bicker and whine and moan that each other are too strict, not strict enough, or just plain wrong.

Here in NY, nobody can bring in a pistol unless they have a NY CCW Permit, because they have NO reciprocity with anyone. Not just that, but a NY CCW is only good in 3 states (that might have changed to none). So what do I do? Get a NY CCW and only carry when I'm in the state? I'm kinda screwed (they took my pistol permit since I don't have a pistol listed on it currently and my county is anti-gun, and its now nearly impossible to get an unrestricted Pistol Permit in my county). Now I COULD hassle with getting a FL pistol permit through the mail, but I'd have to get re-finger printed, have another background check, and wait again... What the hell is the problem with letting me pass with my NY License?

I'm with you in one respect, states should honor each others Pistol Permits. CCW is a little different. If you can't get a CCW in your hometown, the question is why? Now, some places like around me its because the gov't is anti-gun, but in other places its because they don't trust you, and I don't want those guys coming to my town with a concealed weapon, legally or not...

MotorOilMcCall you be wrong an many levels.

Driving is not a right as it's not in the Bill of Rights, now if you or anybody else wants to make it a right and have a amendment added to the Bill of Rights driving will then become a right instead of a privilege.

I am not a Constitutional scholar, but have read many opinions from them, can you say the same?

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. This is from LII: Constitution

Nowhere does it say if you are a criminal, crook, lawyer or big mouth do you loose the right to arm bears :tttt:

Seriously, while I thing there should be limits and laws about firearms, show me one crook that obeys the firearms laws, show me one crook that has shot somebody using a illegal gun, make a trip to the state pen and you will find all kinds of people who are innocent and are all for gun control. Thus they can get out and commit crimes knowing they have guns since they do not listen or obey the laws they know you are unarmed.....

Do some research into gun control laws, where they stem from in America and why they were enacted in the 1st place.

I'll give you a hint, google "jim crow" and see what ya learn.

I stand corrected, in my district we have great accessibility and communication with our reps.

I said driving WASN'T a constitutional right... Read it again...:ph:

It doesn't say in there that if you're a criminal you loose your right to "Bear Arms." But if you didn't know that you loose all weapons rights as a Felon, you're living in the past.

Most weapons related violent crimes are committed with ILLEGAL firearms, not legal ones (although the percentage isn't as high as you think... I could only find rates by state).

I know that criminals don't care what the law says. But making it legal for them to get a CCW is kind of back asswards don't you think? Whether or not it deters them, its the principle of the matter that counts.

Jim Crow laws go into a whole lot more than gun control. And that's not what they were enacted for. They were put up by southern bigot white men, who thought that no matter what you did, or who you were, you're skin color meant more than your morals, ethics, and work ethic. I completely disagree with those men, because skin color means nothing, its the brain that makes decisions.

I know constitutional laws, to a point, and I take pride in knowing whats what. Do I uphold all of them? No, and I find it hard to believe anyone here does completely.

I know gun control laws plenty, I'm fighting them right now. I know you don't know me personally, and I don't know you, but I'm on your side (for the most part). Gun control is fine in moderation, anyone who disagrees is ignorant. The problem is that politicians are forgetting what "Moderation" really means, and not just concerning gun control.

BTW, if you meant "show me one crook that has shot somebody using a LEGAL gun", its not that difficult. Remember the VT massacre? Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter, didn't have any problem buying handguns even with his past history of mental illness. We all know how that ended up, 32 dead students later... The laws have since been changed. But do you think those laws are wrong? Do you think we should keep letting the mentally ill (past or present) acquire handguns?:humm:

Now seeing that I turn 21 on saturday I have not been able to carry a concealed weapon or a pistol for that matter so monday following you can bet I'll have one. I didnt think much of that bill when I first read about it but now that I have seen other ppl voice their opinions I think that this is only protecting Wyoming residents. I wish that times werent so changed if you walk down the street in Laramie with a pistol on your hip you WILL have the police called on you never the less that a rifle is in your pickup. Back in October I was had just gotten back into town from hunting and stopped at the local grocery store and had my rifle in my truck in between the seats bolt out and unloaded and I got out next to a lady that was puttin grocerys in her car and I had my door open for a sec and she must of peaked in and thought that I was up to something bad because when I walked out of the store there were three cops around my truck trying to peak thru my 5% tint. When I got next to my truck the lady was panicky and told the officers that I had a high power sniper rifle in my truck. So the officers told me to pull it out. I pulled out a 30-06 with a scope and they laughed at the lady and told her it was a hunting rifle and we were in the midst of hunting season. They didnt ask for anything more were as my friends have been in similar positions and needed paper work for there weapons. Now I'm not entirely familar with the gun laws in Wyoming but do you have to have paper work on a rifle? What about a handgun? I would like to know the regulations on these because it is quite often I have weapons in my truck in my house and on my body. Thanks.

Wyoming does not have registration on rifles or pistols.

You can purchase em face to face in WY, no paperwork needed. Go to a dealer and you fill out a 4473 & do a background check, unless you have a WY Concealed pistol permit (takes about 90 days after the paperwork is submitted)

No paperwork of any kind needed, unless you have a fully automatic machine gun or a silencer, both of which are legal in WY as long as ya have the proper paperwork and tax stamp.

.

Even in the harsh state of NY we don't have to have paperwork for long guns... There's no paperwork to show, unless they want you to carry around a sales receipt.

I sent an email to the Governor of Wyoming. Here is the reponse:

MEMORANDUM
TO: All the persons who have communicated recently with the Governor’s office concerning the issue of reciprocity of Wyoming’s Concealed Weapons Permits with respect to other states
FROM: C.A. “Kip” Crofts, Counsel to Governor Freudenthal
Introduction:
Thank you all for your interest and input on this important subject. Due to the large numbers of comments/inquiries we received, it is not possible to give each of you an individual response. So I will try to generally describe and explain the situation here, and if you have further questions or comments you may direct them to me at the email address to which this will be attached.
First I would like to say that our Governor, Attorney General, Legislature, and most citizens of Wyoming are very supportive generally of all 2nd Amendment rights. But all of us in the Executive Branch of government are obliged to follow the law passed by our Legislature, regardless of our personal preferences. Here is a description of what happened, what the problem was, and remains, with an explanation of our plan going forward with this issue:
Background of the Issue:
Current Wyoming Statues (§ 6-8-104) provides that persons from other states are immune from our law generally criminalizing the concealed carry of weapons if “the person holds a valid permit authorizing him to carry a concealed firearm authorized and issued by a governmental agency or entity in another state that recognizes Wyoming permits, is a valid statewide permit, and the state has laws similar to the provisions of this section, as determined by the attorney general, including a proper background check of the permit holder.”
The difficulty that has arisen recently has to do with scope and meaning of the phrase “laws similar to” quoted above, and more specifically with how the various states handle the issue of prior misdemeanor convictions for controlled substance offenses or other controlled substance involvement.
Wyoming Statutes, in a further provision of the same section quoted above, provides that a Wyoming permit may only be given to someone “who has not been committed to a state or federal facility for the abuse of a controlled substance or convicted of a violation of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act of 1971 [citing sections of entire act] or similar laws of any other state or the United States relating to controlled substances.” (Elsewhere in the law are other references to disqualification based on the person being an “unlawful user” of or having participated in “incidents involving” controlled substances.)
Wyoming’s Controlled Substances Act is a comprehensive act, and it includes misdemeanor provisions concerning the possession of small amounts and/or the use of controlled substances. (It contains felony provisions too, of course, but they are not relevant to this discussion because a felony conviction will generally bar any possession of a firearm, concealed or not.)
Several years ago Wyoming was reviewing the application of another state for reciprocity with Wyoming, and it was noticed that the state’s laws governing issuance of its concealment permits did not bar applicants in that state based on prior misdemeanor drug convictions. At that time it was determined not to grant reciprocity to that state because its laws were not deemed to be “similar” to Wyoming’s and for the seemingly obvious reason that it seemed inconsistent and unfair to recognize a permit holder (who might have a drug conviction) from another State, when the same person could not qualify for a permit in Wyoming. At that time it was determined to survey the laws of the other 49 states to see if similar inconsistencies existed.
That survey was completed on January 23, 2009. The results showed that eight other states have laws similar to Wyoming’s, barring applicants with prior misdemeanor drug convictions. Twelve states bar applicants for some period of time, ranging from three to ten years after the conviction. Eight states disqualify for controlled substance “use” under varying circumstances. Four states disqualify applicants who are “addicted” to controlled substances, and eighteen do not appear to have any disqualifier for misdemeanor drug convictions, or usage or addiction.
Based on the results of this survey, and the determination that had been made in 2007 when the survey was commenced, the Division of Criminal Investigation announced the change in Wyoming’s reciprocity policy that led to your concerns.
Current Status:
Recognizing that this change potentially had far-reaching consequences, possibly causing other states to withdraw recognition of Wyoming’s permits, and because the survey and comparison for “similarity” had been too narrow in scope by only considering the controlled substance issue, the Governor and Attorney General decided to rescind that change and leave things in the “status quo” that has existed for several years while we study this further.
The Attorney General plans to survey the other states again, and look not just at the controlled substance issue, but at the entire list of requirements for the issuance of a permit. He will then try to develop some understanding of what our Legislature might have intended by the word “similar” when they passed our statute several years ago, and do a more comprehensive comparison of the laws for “similarity” – looking further than the single issue of drugs. Obviously there will be differences from one state to the next, and that term (similar) will require some degree of judgment to be exercised by the Attorney General under the current statute. His survey may show that some states have more stringent requirements than Wyoming’s in some area other than drugs, and through some balancing or weighting of all of the criteria, he may decide that they are “similar” enough to satisfy the Legislature’s intent. He plans to complete that new survey, and arrive at some conclusion on that issue, prior to the time our Legislature meets next year. If it is his “determination” that some narrowing of our grants of reciprocity must occur under the current law, he will make that determination prior to the legislative session, so that they may change our statute if they wish.
At this time I cannot predict the outcome of either the Attorney General’s review, or what, if anything, our Legislature might do with this issue.
__________________

really, that's the conclusion you came to?? you know the real crying shame that you blatantly overlooked is that 32 students died because it's ILLEGAL for someone that respects human life to carry a firearm on campus in self preservation.

you know why these people go to school campuses to do shootings?? because it's like walking into a chicken coup with a shotgun!!! criminals, sociopaths, psychopaths, child molesters, murderers and whatever other definition of sick person you can think of all have something in common...they don't like being out of control of a situation, they don't like being challenged, they don't like even the thought of knowing they could possibly stare down the barrel of someone's firearm as they're eating their last meal of lead before they go rot in hell. so they go where they KNOW they won't be threatened.

94matt, you make it sound as if there's some sort of influx of permit holding druggies overtaking the streets of wyoming. really? you're worried about druggie trash somehow legally acquiring a firearm, then legally acquiring a legitimate CCW and then taking the streets of wyoming over? do you have any clue how difficult it is, even in 'easy' states, to get a permit if there's ANYTHING on your record? most states even take your driving record into consideration.



coming from the socialist republic of california, all of you guys had better watch your states on 2A rights before you're all legislated into being criminals. with politicians and legislators, there is no middle ground, there is no compromise. giving a little bit of freedom up for 'safety' gets their hands around your neck just a little tighter.

Took me a minute to cough up those words that were shoved in my mouth. I'm not worried about out of state druggies taking over the state. Since the entire argument revolves around not honoring other states' permits whom overlook drug convictions on applications, I'd say yes, I now have some idea of how "easy" it is to get a permit in some states.

What I am worried about is an out of state Jackass with an obviously less than stellar background coming here and playing commando. They are bad enough as it is, so no, I wouldn't mind too much if they didn't let people with drug convictions carry a concealed weapon around me.

I don't agree that we shouldn't be allowed to carry in states with less strict rules than our own just because we don't honor theirs. This whole system is screwed up no matter how you look at it. In my opinion, it's better to try to fix it right instead of just clinging to whatever we have for fear of losing all gun rights. That is a defeatist attitude.