West Virginians with concealed carry permits are now able to travel further, with the addition of 16 different states agreeing to honor the permits this week.

Yesterday, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced the expansion, saying, “Protecting the Second Amendment rights of West Virginians continues to be a priority. Our office worked very hard not only to maintain the existing agreements, but also to expand that freedom for younger West Virginians who lawfully wish to exercise their constitutional rights.”

The change comes following the implementation of House Bill 4145 in West Virginia, allowing qualified individuals, age 21 and older, to carry concealed without a permit as well as offering a provisional license at the age of 18.

States agreeing to recognize both West Virginia’s traditional and provisional licenses are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming.

The Mountain State has received written assurance from those sixteen states that they will also recognize the state’s provisional licenses.

Additionally, 19 other states confirmed they will continue to recognize West Virginia’s traditional concealed carry licenses: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

“The relentless tenacity with which Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office attacked this issue, resulting in recognition from 16 states, is quite frankly, astonishing,” said Keith Morgan, president of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League. “The number of hours of work required cannot be over stated. That we have official recognition from this many states in just five months, is more than a testament to the commitment of the Attorney General’s office to defending and recovering the recognition of our inherent human right to self-defense.”

Well done, West Virginia! How about you? Do you know how far your concealed carry permit reaches?

Also, for anyone who thinks we should not have national reciprocity for concealed carry permits, here’s a friendly reminder of just how Shaneen Allen ended up in jail in New Jersey:

Difference Between Concealed Carry Recognition and Reciprocity:
Some states have reciprocity agreements with other states which means each state honors the other state’s concealed carry permit.

Example of concealed carry reciprocity between two states:
State A accepts State B’s concealed carry permit holders to carry in State A and State B accepts State A’s concealed carry permit holders to carry in State B.

There are also some cases where State A will accept State B’s concealed carry permit holders but State B will not accept State A’s concealed carry permit holders. This is NOT reciprocity.

This is crazy. Stay up to date on your permit’s reach by clicking on the map: