Most U.S. states have permitless carry of guns: Trace

NEW YORK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a permitless carry bill into law on April 3, allowing adults in the Sunshine State to carry concealed firearms without training or a license from the government, reported The Trace, the nonprofit journalism covering American gun violence, on Monday.

"With DeSantis's signature, permitless carry is now the law in more than half of the country. Florida, with a population of 23 million, is the third-largest state in the country and the second-largest to enact permitless carry. Texas, the second most populous state, removed permit requirements in 2021," said the report.

Though a majority of states now allow permitless concealed carry, the majority of the U.S. population still lives in states that require a permit or license to carry concealed firearms. With the addition of Florida, 142.7 million people live in permitless carry states, while 190.5 million people reside in states that retain their licensing requirements, according to the report.

Permitless carry, or constitutional carry, as proponents refer to it, has been a top priority of pro-gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America, it said.

"Gun reform groups roundly opposed permitless carry laws, saying that removing permit requirements increase the chances of gun violence by allowing people to carry guns without training or a background check," it added.