Alaska Governor Signs Bill Allowing Concealed Guns

Gov. Walter J. Hickel has signed a bill allowing Alaska residents to carry concealed handguns, saying he weighed the concerns of police with those of citizens who want to protect themselves from criminals.

“Those that impressed me the most were the women who called and said they worked late and had to cross dark parking lots, and why couldn’t they carry a concealed gun?” Hickel said from Fairbanks, where he signed the bill Friday.

Village public safety officers, who keep the peace in rural Alaska and are usually unarmed, had expressed concerns about a concealed-gun law. A provision was added to the bill to allow communities to vote to ban concealed guns.

Alaskans 16 and older may carry handguns openly without a permit. To carry concealed handguns legally, they must be 21, obtain a $125 permit and pass a gun safety course.