The first thorny issue...

The first thorny issue slaps you right in the face the moment you walk out of the courthouse or police station with your new CCW permit. Where are you allowed to carry your concealed handgun? Where are you prohibited from carrying your gun? It helps to do a bit of research before actually carrying a concealed handgun. An excellent website for this purpose is gunlaws.com. Also, some jurisdictions provide a pamphlet or other information with the permit that may provide some guidance. Unfortunately, the law is unclear in many states, and other states have virtually no statutes--only court opinions--to provide guidance for CCW permit holders. Remember: Ignorance of the law is not a defense against arrest and prosecution for a crime, so know what you're getting into before you start packing heat.

Most nondiscretionary CCW states actually list the categories of prohibited areas in the body of the statute. The statute may also contain a provision that essentially states that clearly posted "No Firearms" areas shall also be considered prohibited areas for CCW purposes. The individual prohibited areas listed in the statute--such as courthouses, churches and schools--will most likely not be posted, so be sure to commit the prohibited-areas list to memory or keep a copy of the list with you. Otherwise, you may inadvertently find yourself an unwilling overnight guest of the local constable.

Fortunately, the prohibited areas listed in most state laws are logical and simple to remember. These areas generally include schools, courthouses, law enforcement facilities, correctional facilities, churches, airports and establishments where alcohol is served. The state with the most categories of prohibited areas listed in its statute is Texas, with 15. Oddly enough, Vermont only has two prohibited areas listed: state government facilities and schools. It's also interesting to note that the school gun prohibition applies only to students, not to adults who may be working at or visiting a school. In fact, Vermont does not even require a permit to carry a concealed handgun, yet Vermont is hardly known as a hotbed of gun-related violence. (How do the anti-gun zealots explain this apparent "Vermont paradox?")

All nondiscretionary CCW permit states allow private-property owners to prohibit the carrying of concealed handguns on their property. Most of these states, while they do not require no-firearms-allowed areas to be posted, recommend the practice in order to prevent any confusion or misunderstanding. If you carry a concealed handgun with a CCW permit into a clearly posted no-firearms area and the property owner becomes aware of it, you will most likely be arrested.

However, if you carry a concealed handgun with a CCW permit into a nonposted area where the owner does not want firearms and he becomes aware, you may simply be asked to leave. In extreme cases, the owner may call the police. In these cases, as a Maine State Trooper explained to me, the gun owner will not be arrested because the area was not posted and therefore no crime was committed.