As of July 1, any Kansan who isn’t prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal or state law may carry a concealed gun. No permit, and thus no training, is required.

But just because residents legally can carry a concealed weapon without completing even a basic gun safety class doesn’t mean they should. By approving the new concealed carry law, the Kansas Legislature placed responsibility for gun safety and proficiency squarely on the shoulders of Kansas residents. We can only hope Kansans who wish to carry concealed handguns take that responsibility seriously.

Gov. Sam Brownback signed the new concealed carry law — Senate Bill 45 — in April. “Responsible gun ownership — for protection and sport — is a right inherent in our Constitution,” Brownback said in a statement issued shortly after he signed the bill into law. “It is a right that Kansans hold dear and have repeatedly and overwhelmingly reaffirmed a commitment to protecting.”

Opponents of the new concealed carry law argued that it makes guns more readily available, thus making the public less safe.

But advocates say the law is working in other states including Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming. They point to National Rifle Association statistics that show violent crime rates, including murder rates, have decreased since the permit-less concealed-carry laws were enacted in Alaska, Arizona and Wyoming, whose laws are more similar to Kansas’ new law than to Vermont’s.

Brownback has said requiring a permit to carry a concealed handgun was tantamount to requiring Kansans to get a “permission slip from the government” for something that is a constitutional right. But Brownback also has noted the importance of gun safety classes. On the day he signed the bill into law, Brownback praised a hunter-safety class he and his son recently completed and urged Kansas residents to pursue similar training.

Gun owners would do well to heed the governor’s advice. For, while Kansans now have the right to carry a handgun without first getting training, they also have a moral responsibility to their fellow Kansans to educate themselves.