50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

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xwing
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50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by xwing »

{Moved to this forum as it appears to be a "for sale item. - Jake}

Last month, I rewrote the CCW – Concealed Carry 50 State app on Android. (https://market.android.com/details?id=ryan.ccw) This was due to many people both here and on other forums requesting a DROID version. It’s the same data and basic architecture as the iPhone / iPad app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id443321291 of the same name.

Almost half of the posts in the original thread http://www.ohioccwforums.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=53728 are people asking for an Android version. :D

This app has the ability to show which states & details a specific person (after choosing the permits they own (both res and non-res) can carry in.) Also, I included the text and direct links to the laws so that people can actually confirm & further research the exact information themselves instead of relying on second-hand interpretation. The full description is below.


CCW – Concealed Carry 50 State

This application is about empowering the CCW (concealed or open carry permit) holder (or anyone who wishes to lawfully transport a firearm in any state.) It gives you the direct information that you need to follow and comply with the maze of arcane, complicated, and dissimilar laws in each state and in each situation. It provides all this information with an easy-to-use User Interface.

UNIQUE: This application comes with a trip planner. Choose (and save) your current permit or permits (both Resident and Non-Resident) to see which states recognize YOUR permits. Shows a map (and list) of States in which YOU, specifically, can legally carry. See, at a glance, what states in which to plan your next vacation, or plan your interstate-travel to avoid locations where you cannot carry. Type in & save details and notes for each CCW permit.

This application puts all the power in your hands. You can easily access and review the relevant firearm laws and prohibitions for every state. This app shows you the actual laws, so you do not have to rely on someone else's interpretation. Find the prohibited locations, transportation rules, permit process, and more for every state! Also provides direct links to the laws themselves, so you can research in detail any open questions. It additionally includes the pertinent federal laws. For specific locations (such as restaurants serving alcohol), see the quick allowed/disallowed status, as well as click for details and laws. Also includes state laws (when available) for contact with a police officer, such as a traffic stop. This app displays "duty to notify" laws by state.

Review information direct from the state governments and law enforcement authorities: State Statutes for each state, Direct Reciprocity Information, CCW application forms, State FAQs, and more. This compiled list of "best" links lets you directly see the details. The key information does not require internet connection; it's located right on your phone!

Interactive state maps show any scenario: All the states recognizing a specific permit, all the permits that a specific state allows, state map of type of permit available, map of states recognizing permits in a list. Click on any state to see the details for that state!

Contact and find (one touch dialing, mapping to office, email, and URL view) local authorities in each state.

Find local points of interest, anywhere in the country! (training, ranges, firearm shops, repair)

Automatically pull up the laws for your current state location, based on GPS.

Ability to customize and save your preferences (background pictures on or off, map display preference, etc...). Save your list of permits, for easy recognition. Allows you to store your permit number, expiration and notes as well.

This application is ad-free. No annoying advertisements or messages.

If you have any concerns or find any issues in the app, please see the "support" page and email me. I appreciate user feedback. Disclaimer: This application attempts to provide information on the most recent and relevant laws and statues, as well as up-to-date information on areas allowed or prohibited to carry. However, laws can change, and many rules and reciprocity decisions are reliant on AG and other state opinions, as opposed to state code. This application implies no warranty regarding the ability to legally carry in any locale or situation and does not constitute legal advice. Use common sense and good judgment. If carrying (either concealed or open) into an unfamiliar area or state, contact local law enforcement or legal counsel regarding any questions. This application does have links and contact information of both relevant state offices and local attorneys in every state.


Let me know what you think!
dirtdawg
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by dirtdawg »

I will surely check it out. Thanks!
Dirtdawg
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JediSkipdogg
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by JediSkipdogg »

What's the coupon code to get it for free :wink: :mrgreen:

I'll check it out once I get back from my vacation next week.
Carrying Concealed Handguns - Signage Answers

Ohio Concealed Carry Classes in S/W Ohio
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I am not a lawyer. My answers are based on research, knowledge, and are generally backed up with facts, the Ohio Revised Code, or the United States Code.
ohiophotog
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by ohiophotog »

App downloaded. It is good for a BETA release which I am not sure if this is supposed to still be in beta stage of development or not.

There are GUI problems such as not being able to scroll down completely or at all in areas that should be able to be scrolled.

Overlooking that there is a problem with how it quotes Ohio transportation law. I quotes much of it but as we all know the devil is in the details. They did not quote all of the exemptions including the exemption that removes CHL holders from the transportation restrictions and gives us the ability to twirl our.... Oh nevermind you get my point.

ETA: It is stuff like this that makes what could be a great app in to little more than a novelty. How can I trust that the information given about other states is complete and accurate. I realize that this should not replace me looking up the laws my self but if it can not be reliable for travel to lesser known locations then I am failing to see its usefulness.

I will post again with any more observations.
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xwing
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by xwing »

ohiophotog wrote: There are GUI problems such as not being able to scroll down completely or at all in areas that should be able to be scrolled.

Overlooking that there is a problem with how it quotes Ohio transportation law. I quotes much of it but as we all know the devil is in the details. .
The transportation section is not specific to CCW holders. It is there to provide the overall transportation laws, especially for people who do not have a CCW valid in a particular state. It is the exact law from the Ohio code. If you click the link at the top of that section, you can see the entire statute on the State of Ohio's website. If a person is traveling the country, they are likely to go through states in which they do not hold a valid permit; thus the transportation section. Regarding a state in which they hold a valid permit, the "Prohibited" section states the areas in which the permit is not valid. Part E. of this statute (included) states the rules for those who carry a firearm pursuant to a valid license.

You mention “handgunlaw” in the negative review you posted on the android marketplace. I just cross-checked; they have even less information posted than the app regarding 2923.16 and transportation.

Regarding concerns with scrolling: areas scroll as they are supposed to during testing both on various phones and simulator. On what page are you experiencing an issue with scrolling? What behavior are you seeing? Which specific area is failing to scroll correctly? Also, what version of Android OS are you running, and what is your screen size and resolution? If there is a discrepancy on a specific screen dimension, I would be happy to look into and resolve it.
ohiophotog
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by ohiophotog »

I do apologise as I may have been overly harsh and to quick to form an opinion with only ten minutes on the app. I will post phone specifics when I get home from work after midnight. HTC Inspire 4g from AT&T is all I'm for sure on currently.
- OK. Jokes over. Bring back the Constitution.
- Never attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
- No trees were harmed during the transmission of this message, however a ton of electrons were temporarily inconvenienced.
ohiophotog
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by ohiophotog »

Ok my phone specifics.

This is what my about phone says. There is other info in the hardware section but it really did not seem important (like Bluetooth info for example). As far as the Software section I was unsure what would affect app GUI's so I included all of it.
4.3 inch WVGA resolution
Andriod Version 2.3.3
HTC Sense Version 2.1
Baseband Version 12.56.60.25U_26.10.04.03_M
Kernel Version 2.6.35.10-gd2564fb
htc-kernel@and18-2 #1
Thu Jun 9 14:33:05 CST 2011
Build Number 2.47.502.7 CL93396 release-keys
Software Number 2.47.502.7

The more I think about it maybe the problem that I mentioned about the app not showing the subsection (E) of ORC 2923.16 may just have been caused because, for whatever reason, I was unable to scroll past the first part of subsection (F)(1).

I do have some idea of how difficult it must be to create an app for android since there are a bunch of different kernel versions, screen sizes, resolutions, and worst of all different manufacture's skins like HTC Sense and Moto Blur which I'm sure affects the apps.

I did notice that the app is fairly well put together but for my phone at least it needs some tweaks.

At the page where I can input info about my Ohio CHL such as expiration date, I can not scroll down at all and the last thing it shows at the bottom of the page is the notes section, specifically the first half of the first line of it. This is in landscape mode, in portrait mode it seems fine and shows about three lines worth of space with the bottom of the box like normal.

Another area is after clicking of the My Permits button I am presented with a list of the States, when I touch the area to scroll it changes the background black though the text is still visible, I mention this because in my experience if there is a color change when touching a scroll-able area it only changes color for a split second and then returns to normal until you release and touch again to continue scrolling, though this may be intentional I'm not sure.

Another GUI problem is when viewing the individual states pages there are three divisions for different info. All three are scroll-able if enough info is presented to warrant it. In landscape mode the main area is on the left with links like Transportation Laws, Prohibited Areas and Duty to Inform as well as others, When you click on these they take you to relevant law Statutes. The problem seems to be in the area that (when in landscape mode) is in the lower right corner, it displays Additional links, for example for the Ohio page it shows links for CCW Manual, AG CCW, and Legal Info - Weapons Offenses, again in landscape mode I can not actually read the word Offenses, though I know it's there since it is viewable from portrait mode. While in landscape mode this area appears to be scroll-able since when I touch it a scroll bar appears but the entire Additional Links area goes black with no text visible only the breaks between links. On the Ohio page it's not a problem because there are only three links there (I think) but other pages there could be more than three links and I would never know it since the entire area goes black and the only way to get it to return to normal (non black backgound with visible text) is to back out of the state page and return to that state page. I have tried touching other areas and scrolling the other two boxes but nothing seems to bring the text back.

A minor annoyance is when you press the back "hardware" button on the individual state page it backs all the way out to the app home page instead of the US map, then to the app home page.

Another area that reacts similarly to the list that is used to chose a new permit state, is the list presented after clicking on the State List button on the bottom banner, when scrolling this list everything goes black except for the state flags, but upon release the normal background and text reappear like normal.

So far other than these things the app is good, if the only reason that I could not see the CHL exemption in 2923.16 is due to some scrolling problem and it's fixed then it would be great.

I would be nice if any time a law mentions another law like Florida's Prohibited Areas law 790.06 mentions any place of nuisance as defined in 823.05, It would be nice to have a link to that statute, and any other time a quoted statute mentions another statute you could either include a relevant excerpt of a link.

xwing wrote;
The transportation section is not specific to CCW holders. It is there to provide the overall transportation laws, especially for people who do not have a CCW valid in a particular state. It is the exact law from the Ohio code. If you click the link at the top of that section, you can see the entire statute on the State of Ohio's website. If a person is traveling the country, they are likely to go through states in which they do not hold a valid permit; thus the transportation section. Regarding a state in which they hold a valid permit, the "Prohibited" section states the areas in which the permit is not valid. Part E. of this statute (included) states the rules for those who carry a firearm pursuant to a valid license.
Personally if I were traveling to or through Ohio and had a permit that is recognized by Ohio I would click on Transportation Info to see what if any restrictions there are on car carry. If I read what I see without subsection (E) I would believe that Ohio had virtually no car carry allowed regardless of having a valid CHL, as without subsection (E) there is no actual mention of CHL holders in the law. When in reality it's the exact opposite where we have no restrictions at all until we get into a law enforcement stop or being under the influence.
- OK. Jokes over. Bring back the Constitution.
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Freddie
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by Freddie »

I like it, although I do have some feedback that I think will help improve the app. i've had the app for a few weeks now and I do appreciate the time you've got into it!!
ohiophotog
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by ohiophotog »

According to his pm to me, he is very interested in constructive criticism in the interest of making the app better for the users so you might pm him if you have not done so already or post in on here for everyone to know how the app behaves and it perceived shortcomings before paying for it and possibly being disappointed though it is pretty decent already.
- OK. Jokes over. Bring back the Constitution.
- Never attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
- No trees were harmed during the transmission of this message, however a ton of electrons were temporarily inconvenienced.
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Freddie
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Re: 50 State CCW - Conceal Carry Android App

Post by Freddie »

ohiophotog wrote:According to his pm to me, he is very interested in constructive criticism in the interest of making the app better for the users so you might pm him if you have not done so already or post in on here for everyone to know how the app behaves and it perceived shortcomings before paying for it and possibly being disappointed though it is pretty decent already.
I got the same vibe in a PM from him, he is very open to any constructive criticism. I need to take the time to write him some feedback
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