Sep 14 2011
Proposed Bill Would Mandate Reciprocity Between Conceal And Carry Permit States
A House Sub committee hearing was held yesterday on the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act. H.R. 822, originally authored by Representative Clifford Stearns, a Republican from Florida, is heavily endorsed by the NRA and has more than 240 supporters in the House of Representatives. The bill would essentially force states to honor other state’s permits to carry concealed weapons. Chris Cox, chief lobbyist for the NRA likens the bill to states honoring other states’ driver’s licenses. But unlike driver’s licenses, there is no national database tracking concealed carry permits and some states do not even keep accurate records of these permits. While some states have very strict permitting rules that require citizens to undergo gun safety training or prevent people who have been convicted of violent misdemeanors from owning a weapon, Stearns’ proposed legislation would allow the state with the most lax laws to set the precedent for the entire country. The NRA gets millions of dollars in contributions from gun manufacturers. If H.R. 822 ]were to pass, these manufacturers would be able to bolster gun sales by marketing their weapons in new ways to promote more concealed models. While the exact number of gun sales nationwide is unknown due to the gun lobby’s pressure on the government to restrict gun sales data, it is clear that there has been a significant decline in ownership. In the late 1970s more than half of all households owned guns, while only about one third of all households currently own guns. At yesterday’s subcommittee hearing, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Ramsey testified as a witness against H.R. 822, saying that the bill “would eliminate the right that states now have to set their own public safety laws, in consultation with law enforcement professionals.” Chief Ramsey serves as the President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. The bill also faces opposition from a national campaign launched by the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is a coalition of more than 600 Republican, Democrat, and Independent city mayors in the US.
GUEST: Josh Sugarman, the Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center
Find out more at www.vpc.org and www.ourlivesourlaws.org.
2 Responses to “Proposed Bill Would Mandate Reciprocity Between Conceal And Carry Permit States”
As is normal for gun control folks, this author distorts the facts to bolster a weak argument. Statements like “In the late 1970s more than half of all households owned guns, while only about one third of all households currently own guns” are intended to miss lead the reader. The fact that there were fewer households in the 70’s escapes the author’s reasoning. By most accounts there are over 290 million firearms in this country today in approximately 100 million homes. There are 4.5 million firearms sold in this country every year. Not exactly a “significant decline”. The point of this legislation is to protect a Constitutional right against encroachment by states that are slow to recognize the right. This is much like those reluctant states back in the 60’s that thought states rights should trump individual (African American) rights. It is also worth noting that racist policies and gun control have walked hand in hand for decades. One wonders if they are not still holding hands.
“ . . . THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED”
“shall not be infringed” does not give (or reserve to) the States the power to infringe; instead it specifically DENIES the Federal Government AND the States that power. The RIGHT to “keep and bear arms” belongs to (and is reserved by) the people.