CCW – Concealed Carry 50 State

Review by eFreeware

CCW – Concealed Carry 50 State is a reference app from Workman Consulting LLC, published in the Books & Reference category and sold for $1.99. It gathers firearm carry and transport rules for every state and US territory into one place, along with reciprocity information and links to the underlying statutes. The core appeal is simple: instead of hunting through a dozen government websites, you keep a searchable set of laws on your phone and check them when a trip or a question comes up.

The app has been on Google Play since November 2011 and now sits at a 4.7 average across 3,699 ratings, with more than 100,000 installs. Those numbers suggest a settled, well-used tool rather than a novelty, and the developer keeps it current: laws and reciprocity details are refreshed monthly at minimum, and the most recent update added automatic updates for license availability.

Laws on your phone, not in a browser tab

The feature the developer leads with is offline availability. Every state and territory's laws are stored on the device, so you can read up on transport rules, off-limits locations or permit procedures without an active internet connection. Updates download when laws change and stay on the phone afterward, which matters if you often find yourself checking details in places with poor signal.

The law coverage is broken into categories rather than dumped in one long document. The developer lists transporting a firearm without a license, places off-limits to license holders, state preemption, duty to inform, the force of law behind "no guns" signs, new and renewal licenses, open carry, parking lot storage, magazine and tactical rifle rules, use of force rules, rules for restaurants that serve alcohol, roadside rest areas, state and national parks, state and national forests, wildlife management areas, and age rules.

Federal law is included too, along with rules for airplanes, trains and Indian tribal lands. Where a question needs more depth, the app links directly to the government website holding the statute, so you can read the source rather than a summary. That combination of a plain-language overview and a route to the official text is what makes the app useful for anyone who wants to verify a detail before relying on it.

Reciprocity maps and saved permits

Reciprocity is handled through interactive state maps. Save your resident and non-resident licenses, and the app shows where each is recognized. Maps can also be read the other way: which states honor a particular permit, what permit types a state issues, and how the pieces fit together for a given trip.

The developer describes a convenient map for planning travel so you can avoid states where your permit is not valid. For specific locations, such as restaurants that serve alcohol, the app shows a quick allowed status first, with details and the relevant law one tap away. Duty-to-notify rules for encounters with police, including a traffic stop, are covered as their own category.

Beyond the laws themselves, there is a directory of state officials to contact, a compiled list of links to state statutes, reciprocity pages, application forms and state FAQs, and a GPS-based lookup that finds laws for your current position along with nearby points of interest. You can also adjust the interface with background pictures and a high-contrast or colorblind-friendly setting.

What it asks of you

The app costs $1.99 up front. It contains no ads, and in-app purchases are offered. Your purchase includes a free two-year subscription to law and reciprocity updates; after that, an additional subscription runs at $0.99 per year, with auto-renew through Google Play as an optional choice rather than a requirement.

The practical requirement is that you keep the laws current. The app alerts you to updated laws, and the download is quick. Treating a stale copy as authoritative is the obvious risk with any reference tool of this sort.

The other requirement is on your side: the app presents statutes and links, not legal advice. The developer states plainly that it implies no warranty, that laws change and are subject to interpretation, and that anyone unsure about a specific situation should contact local law enforcement or legal counsel. It is also not affiliated with any state or government agency; the laws shown are public information drawn from state legislature and federal websites.

Getting the most from a trip check

The sensible routine is to set the app up before you travel rather than during a stop. Save your resident and non-resident permits first, then use the maps to see which states on your route recognize them. That turns a vague sense of where you can and cannot carry into a concrete list you can plan around.

From there, the category structure rewards targeted reading. If a state recognizes your permit but you plan to leave a firearm in the car while visiting a restaurant that serves alcohol, the parking lot storage, alcohol venue and off-limits categories are the ones to open. If you expect to be stopped by police, the duty-to-inform entry is worth a minute of your time before the trip, not after.

When a law matters enough to affect a decision, follow the link to the state statute and read the source. The app is built to make that easy, and the developer's own framing is that you should examine the actual laws rather than someone else's interpretation. The GPS lookup is best used as a starting point when you are already somewhere unfamiliar and want to know which rules apply.

A reference tool for permit holders who travel

At $1.99 with no ads, this is a modest purchase for anyone who carries or transports a firearm across state lines and wants a single place to check the rules. The offline storage, the reciprocity maps tied to your saved permits, and the direct links to state statutes are the parts that hold the most value. The developer's monthly-or-better update cycle is what keeps that value from fading.

It suits permit holders who travel regularly, people who hold licenses from more than one state, and anyone who wants to read the law directly instead of relying on a forum post. It is a reference app, so it will not tell you what to do in a situation the statutes do not clearly cover, and the developer is explicit that it is not legal advice.

If you want a quick answer about your own state and rarely cross a border, the free government pages may be enough. For the traveler juggling several permits and a route through unfamiliar states, the $1.99 plus the optional yearly update subscription buys convenience and a clear path back to the official text.

What's new in version 4.1.3

Upgraded to latest Android version Added ability to automatically update license availability Added additional information and context on duty to inform Minor display improvements Fixed webpage view error Fixed navigation bar error