From Miller v. Bonta; “Some antebellum laws prohibited carrying concealed pistols. If there is a history and tradition of government regulation related to guns, this is it. Among the thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia in 1868, about a dozen states had laws that prohibited carrying concealed pistols. Importantly, the concealed carry laws did not prohibit either keeping pistols for all lawful purposes or carrying all guns openly. None of the concealed carry laws included long guns in their restrictions.” JAMES MILLER, et al., Plaintiffs, v. ROB BONTA Case No.: 19-cv-01537 BEN (JLB) pg. 51
In 1870, Tennessee passed the first in the nation total ban on public carry by citizens of loaded firearms, pistols or long guns. It is still on our books today. That makes us the outlier. Forty two (42) other states allow the lawful carry of long guns, only 4 states make it a crime to do so, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Tennessee.
