NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's getting easier to carry a gun in many states as legislatures across the country pass more laws loosening restrictions on firearms.
Twenty-four states have passed a total of 47 laws since 2008 that grant gun owners more freedom and privacy. The trend comes as the National Rifle Association has worked with state lawmakers to chip away at gun-control statutes.
Tennessee handgun owners won the right this year to take their weapons onto sports fields and playgrounds and even into bars, though a judge overturned that law.
Other states have moved to keep handgun owners' names secret, to make sure they can bring firearms to the company parking lot and into restaurants with liquor licenses, among other changes.
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