Kentucky's governor just vetoed a bill that would have let 18-to-20-year-olds obtain a CCDW license in the state. The political framing around it is worth unpacking.

"While I believe in the Second Amendment, these pieces of legislation would allow minors under the age of 21 to carry concealed deadly weapons..."

Calling 18-year-olds "minors" isn't a legal position — it's a rhetorical one. An 18-year-old can sign a lease, enlist, and vote, but apparently the governor thinks the word "minor" is flexible enough to cover them when it's convenient.

"Blocking it doesn't prevent those adults from carrying at home or in their vehicles. It just keeps them from getting the license that opens reciprocity with other states."

This is the part most people miss. Kentucky already has permitless carry at 21+, so the veto doesn't stop 18-to-20-year-olds from being armed — it just locks them out of the licensing system that would give their carry any legal standing across state lines. A 19-year-old driving through Tennessee for work or hunting is the one who pays for this.

The override math in Frankfort looks reasonable on paper — Republican supermajority in both chambers — but whether leadership actually schedules the vote is a different question. Legislative calendars have a way of running out.

For those of you who travel and carry regularly: how much weight do you put on reciprocity when you're deciding where to go and how to plan around it — and does it change your thinking on whether 18-to-20-year-olds should have access to the licensing process?

Read the full article in The Handbook → | By Steve Duskett