It's illegal to carry a handgun in the U.S. without a permit.
Except in Vermont, where it's perfectly legal. (And I think, in some of the western states, it's only illegal to carry concealed - if the weapon is out where people can see it, it's ok. But in VT, concealed is fine too.)
And we have the lowest per capita violent crime rate of any state except the two Dakotas, according to one report I saw a few years ago. (That may be out of date since the dealers have been working their way up I-91 from central MA.)