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West Virginia Close to Allowing Hidden Guns Without Permits
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia is close to joining a short list of states that let people carry hidden guns without permits or training.
The GOP-led House voted Friday to override Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s veto of the bill. The Senate will likely follow.
The bill would take effect in late May.
Surrounded by law enforcement officials Thursday, Tomblin vetoed the bill over safety concerns. He vetoed similar legislation last year.
It’s legal in West Virginia to carry guns openly – in a holster, for instance – without permits.
The bill would let people conceal guns in public without permits, by wearing a coat for example. People ages 18 through 20 would need permits and training with live firing.
Alaska, Wyoming, Arizona, Vermont, Maine and Kansas similarly don’t require concealed carry permits.