Today is the day gun-rights advocates have had in their sights for a long time.

Starting today, Arizona residents at least 21 years old can carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

The change is part of a broad weapons law by state Sen. Russell Pearce passed by the state Legislature in April that eases restrictions on concealed carry and stiffens penalties for committing a crime while carrying a concealed weapon.

The law is one of many passed by the state Legislature this past session that go into effect today.

Arizona joins Alaska and Vermont as the only states to allow concealed weapons without a permit.

However, the impact of the law is likely to be different in Arizona than those states because Arizona's population is much larger and because the state has major metropolitan areas.

"It's one thing to carry a loaded weapon in public when your closest neighbor is a mile or 5 miles away," said Brian Malte, director of state legislation for the Brady Campaign, an interest group that lobbies for gun regulations. "It's a very different situation when you're in a densely-populated urban environment."

But that lack of precedent makes it difficult to predict the law's impact.

Opponents say that without permitting and training, individuals might place themselves in situations where they might break the law or hurt themselves and others.

Proponents say that concealed carry is not substantially different from open carry, which the state already allows without a permit, and that the new law simply lets law-abiding citizens carry weapons in whatever way is most comfortable.

The law has already created changes for the firearms community, local businesses and police departments. It has also galvanized gun-rights groups to seek further deregulation.

Concealed carry

The law's passage is the culmination of several years of political maneuvering to ease gun regulations in Arizona.

During her time as governor, Janet Napolitano vetoed at least a dozen different weapons bills - several similar to the law going into effect today - that would have eased restrictions on gun owners.

But Napolitano's departure and the appointment of Gov. Jan Brewer in January 2009 gave the Legislature and gun-rights groups an ally in the executive office. Brewer signed the law April 16.

Last year, legislators passed a law allowing concealed-weapon permit holders to enter bars and restaurants.

In Arizona's nearly 100-year history as a state, lawmakers have done little to restrict individuals' ability to carry weapons openly.

Proponents of the new law argue that open carry has not had any impact on public safety or gun violence and that concealed carry without a permit won't alter that.

"It's really just a matter of preference," said Rachel Parsons, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association. "If a woman wants to carry her gun in her purse, she should be allowed to do that as easily as carrying it on her hip."

But opponents of the law say that concealed carry creates a different environment that could land untrained individuals in trouble.

"If a weapon is not concealed, you're aware of a potential problem and it's easier to avoid it," said Arnold Rudley, a gun owner who took a permit course on July 17. "With concealed carry, the knowledge of a potential problem goes away and you might walk into a bad situation without knowing it."

What changes

The law makes several changes to the permitting process and rules regulating concealed carry:

��It removes the requirement that individuals have a permit to carry a concealed weapon anywhere that open carry is allowed. Individuals will still need a permit to carry a concealed weapon in bars and restaurants and to qualify for reciprocal privileges when in states that require permits.

��The new law lets individuals obtain permits through means other than the eight-hour training course mandated under the previous law. These other means include any NRA firearms- or safety-training course and a hunter-education course administered by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

��It requires individuals to answer honestly if police ask if they are carrying a weapon. The law also allows police officers to take temporary custody of a weapon during stops.

��It stiffens penalties for individuals who commit crimes while carrying a concealed weapon.

Effects

The law's provisions have already reached into the firearms community, local businesses and law-enforcement offices.

Local companies that offer the training course for permits have seen business drop about 80 percent since the law was signed, said David White, owner and instructor of Desert West Firearms Training Center in Mesa.

Many of these companies have either lowered their prices or created new, shorter courses to get gun owners to conduct some training before carrying concealed weapons.

Several instructors said that although they support the right to carry weapons without restrictions, they think gun owners should be responsible enough to seek out training.

They say there are complex laws regarding the use of force. Without any training, they say, individuals could wind up breaking the law.

"I get people coming through my door all the time who know absolutely nothing about the use of force," said Doug Little, who owns and teaches at Armed Personal Defense Institute in Scottsdale. "It's important for them to understand the laws and consequences before they drop that thing in their pocket."

Local law-enforcement offices have discussed the new law with patrol officers, but a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department said officers have not gone through any special training.

Businesses outside the firearms community have also adjusted to the new law. Under a 2009 law, bars and restaurants wishing to ban firearms must post signs at their entrances to notify patrons.

The Department of Liquor Licensing and Control, which distributes the signs, has seen as many requests for the signs in the past 3 months as it saw since the law went into effect in October.

What's next

Gun-rights advocates see the new law as a major victory in their push to further deregulate the carrying of weapons.

Some provisions of the law were removed as the bill wound its way through the Legislature. Advocacy groups said they will pick up the fight next year to have those provisions passed.