An excellent graph at No Lawyers, Only Guns and Money, shows the story. We’ve come a long way, baby.
And there’s still a long way to go. In Illinois, the right to carry is completely forbidden by law. In eight other states, handgun carry licensing laws are highly arbitrary. With a few exceptions (e.g., upstate New York, rural California, 2 of the 3 counties in Delaware), in those state rights are routinely denied, so “may issue” amounts to “will not issue.” It is not acceptable that nearly one-third of the nation is still denied a fundamental civil and natural right.