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West Virginia Open Carry Laws Have Not Changed In Decades

Rebecca Bowen Rebecca Bowen
Lifestyle
15th July 2021
West Virginia Open Carry Laws Have Not Changed In Decades
Crime rates have seen only insignificant changes in recent years (Getty Images).

The Claim

West Virginia recently enacted an open carry policy, and as a result, crime rates have dropped 90%.

Emerging story

This summer, social media users have been sharing a meme about West Virginia gun laws. Comparing West Virginia to the Wild West, these posts claim “now that there’s an open carry law” crime rates have dropped by 90%. 

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Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar’s investigation found this claim to be false. West Virginia has allowed open carry for decades. The only recent changes to their gun laws were made in 2016: when people over 21 already allowed to legally own a firearm, were also allowed to concealed carry without a permit. “Concealed carry” refers to a person carrying a firearm without it being in direct view, and permitted only with a license in many other states. Open carrying, which was not illegal in West Virginia, is when a firearm owner wears their weapon in plain view. 

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West Virginia Crime Rate 1979-2018 (Macrotrends)

As for the claims of a 90% drop in crime, this graph shows murder and homicide rates for West Virginia, which shows steady increases and a slight decrease in 2018 violent crime, which witnessed steady growth until 2018. In fact, none of the metrics for West Virginia show any drops in crime even nearing the “90%” figure offered by social media users. 

A Department of Justice report from 2016 notes that of inmates in possession of a firearm at the time of their crime, only 7% got the gun legally from a licensed firearm dealer. Gun owners are also far less likely to commit a crime, but there is no link between areas of large gun ownership and less crime. 

Misbar’s Classification

Fake

Misbar’s Sources

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