W.Va. secures 31st concealed carry reciprocity agreement

CHARLESTON — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Monday announced that West Virginia now has full reciprocity with the State of Nebraska, ensuring that citizens’ concealed handgun licenses issued by either state will be recognized by the other.

“This agreement marks the 31st state with which West Virginia has full reciprocity or recognition and the seventh agreement reached since July 2013,” Morrisey said in a statement. “The Second Amendment ensures that citizens have the right to keep and bear arms.

"Under my tenure as Attorney General, we will continue to protect the Second Amendment rights of both West Virginians and those from other states who travel here.”

Morrisey said the mutual recognition agreement is a positive step for legal gun owners living in both West Virginia and Nebraska.

In recent weeks, the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office engaged in discussions with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office regarding the potential for mutual recognition between the two states.  Nebraska has previously recognized concealed handgun licenses issued by West Virginia.

In June, the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office sent a letter on behalf of the Nebraska Governor to the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office providing the statutory notice required by W.Va. Code § 61-7-6a for West Virginia to  mutually recognize Nebraska’s concealed handgun permits.

“Both West Virginia and Nebraska have histories of loyally defending the Second Amendment, and I am pleased that the states can enjoy mutual recognition of concealed handgun licenses,” Morrisey said. “Many people from West Virginia enjoy traveling to Nebraska for work or recreational activities, such as hunting or fishing, and vice versa.

"These agreements will enable citizens of both states to continue to do so without wondering if their right to carry a concealed weapon has been diminished.”

Since July 2013, the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General has added seven states —Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, and New Hampshire — to the list of states with which it has full reciprocity or mutual recognition agreements.

Under the new agreements and pursuant to W. Va. Code § 61-7-6a, a valid Nebraska permit or license to possess or carry a handgun is valid in West Virginia for the carrying of a concealed handgun so long as the following conditions are met:

* The permit or license holder is 21 years of age or older;

* The permit or license is in his or her immediate possession; and

* The permit or license holder is not a resident of the State of West Virginia.

West Virginia residents with a valid concealed handgun license may legally carry a concealed handgun in states with full reciprocity agreements as well as states that formally recognize West Virginia permits.

West Virginia has full handgun reciprocity agreements with 31 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Furthermore, West Virginians with a valid CHL also may legally carry in the following five states, subject to the limitations of each particular state’s laws: Indiana, Montana, Nevada, Vermont, and Wisconsin. It is worth noting Vermont law does not restrict who may carry a firearm, and Wisconsin only recognizes West Virginia concealed handgun licenses issued after June 8, 2012. Any concealed handgun license issued by these five states may not be honored by the State of West Virginia until further agreements are reached.

For information regarding West Virginia concealed handgun licenses, please visit the Attorney General’s website at www.wvago.gov/gunrecep.cfm.