Concealed carry (CCW) is the practice of carrying a concealed weapon on or about the person, whether in public or on one's own property. It is legal in all 50 states in the USA (with Illinois being the last to legalize it), though a few states regulate it to the point where it is nearly impossible to obtain. The law varies from state to state, and not all states require a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Some states require that the weapon in question be a pistol (the permits in these states are referred to as a "Concealed Handgun Permit" (CHP) or a "Concealed Handgun License" (CHL)), while other states don't make any distinction as to what is carried, so long as it is concealed.