Permitless carry laws raise new dilemmas for police officers

There is a city in Kentucky. Carmon Tussey was carrying an assault weapon as he walked toward a crowded bar.

Service weapons were drawn when people ran away. The man was put in handcuffs and had his gun taken away. Tussey could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of terroristic threatening, wanton endangerment and disorderly conduct.

His lawyer says he was engaged in perfectly legal behavior in the incident, raising a new legal argument in the United States.

Kentucky joined a majority of states in making it legal to carry a gun in public without a permit.

The end of the bureaucracy surrounding the right to carry a gun is celebrated by many. Permitless carry laws have made it difficult for police officers to decide if someone with a gun is a danger.

According to Tussey's attorney, it is perfectly legal to walk down a public street with a loaded gun.

The gun that led to Tussey's arrest was not the only thing. The type of weapon, the way he carried it, and where he was headed were all important. A witness said that Tussey was coming back to the bar after a fight.

Tussey told police he was going to shoot people he fought with after he was taken into custody. Later, those comments came. He argued that police had no right to take him into custody.

In a preliminary ruling, the judge said that police had other reasons to arrest Tussey. Because of Kentucky's new law, he believes he can convince a jury that Tussey didn't commit any crimes. He will have his next hearing in November.

People are safer if permitless carry is not used. It makes it more dangerous for police officers.

John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said that law enforcement leaders speak out against permitless carry laws. It makes the job of a police officer more dangerous by allowing anyone to carry a gun.

There has been an increase in gun violence across the country. So far this year, there have been 35,000 deaths in the US. The majority of killings in 2020 involved a gun.

The governor of Indiana signed a law that removed the permit requirement for carrying a handgun in public even though the state police chief was against it. The new law went into effect.

"We are expected to enforce our laws and take those guns off the streets and make sure people that aren't supposed to have them don't," Indiana State Police spokesman Capt. Ron Galaviz said. There is an extra couple of steps in that process.

When an officer pulls someone over, they can't ask to see a permit or grab a gun.

There are a variety of outcomes for complaints about armed people.

According to The Idaho Statesman, police in Idaho received several calls about a man with a gun, who took a firearm to places they weren't allowed.

Property owners in Idaho can ban permitless carry in certain areas. Bergquist was never arrested under Idaho law, according to the police chief.

Lee made that comment after Bergquist shot and killed a security guard and wounded four other people at a mall.

Gun rights were promoted on a YouTube channel by Bergquist.

In Houston, a man with a rifle in one hand and a Bible in the other walked into a mall.

The lawyer argued that the man was just a gun-loving Texan. He was found guilty of disorderly conduct by the jury. In Texas, it is legal to carry loaded guns in public, but not in a way that is calculated to alarm.

Cops like to think that everyone is a bad guy, but that isn't always the case. Some people like their Second Amendment rights.

In Florida, Michael Taylor films himself with guns and a fishing pole as he goes to cast a line. He wants to educate people about Florida gun laws, which don't allow a person to carry a gun without a permit if they are hunting or fishing.

State gun laws can be discussed when Taylor's actions lead to them. Sometimes they prompt a man with a gun to make a call.

According to a video he posted to social media, officers in Clearwater stopped Taylor last year as he walked down a crowded beach with a fishing pole, a "Don't tread on me" flag and a loaded assault weapon. He told the police that he wasn't breaking any laws when they asked him what he was doing.

One officer says that you are scaring people.

The officers move him to a less crowded area after cuffing him. He walks down the beach to the pier.

When responding to an armed person in public, officers have a very quick decision to make, as to whether or not to intervene, and how, according to Shannon West, a training supervisor at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training.

In a rare case this year, an Indiana man shot and killed a man who killed three people at a mall after permitless carry took effect in the state. The man who shot the man was hailed as a hero for saving other people's lives.

A good guy with a gun is the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun, according to gun rights advocates.

That can cause a dilemma for police when they get there.

If a person had a concealed carry permit, it would be less suspicious for them to have a gun. It becomes harder for police and others to figure out if a person has bad intent if they don't have a permit.

That's right.

Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington and John Raby in Charleston contributed to the article.