l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 Feb 2011
Predictably, when something positive takes hold in America, and spreads
across the nation, eventually confusion will emerge. And that is nowhere
better illustrated than with how to deal with concealed carry, not in the
state where we reside, but across the country as we travel.
As it is now, individual states may reciprocate in accepting each other’s
concealed carry permits, but only under the laws of the state the permit
holder is physically in. Fine. What that leaves out is the permit holder
traveling through states that don’t honor his or her state’s permit. A
person or family traveling across several states often has to unravel
numerous issues before determining what, if any, state their concealed carry
permit is honored in.
That means people traveling across numerous states may have to do something
different with their gun in each one of those states. Even in states that
allow concealed carry, but don’t have a reciprocity agreement with the CCW
holder’s state, a person may have to go through all kinds of “procedures
” to get their handgun legally transported through that state. And even
though legally licensed to carry in another state, their right to self
defense in a non reciprocity state is withdrawn.
That’s why H.R.822 — National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 is
due for passage. It has been introduced in 2011 and passed overwhelmingly by
the U.S. House of Representatives.
Now it is languishing where a news channel talking head recently said, “All
bills go to die”, the U.S. Senate where it has been languishing. Now here
is the reality of where the bill currently resides.
The U.S. Senate is controlled by a majority of Democrats, i.e. liberal, gun
hating, idealistic socialists who believe that Second Amendment rights are
meant for the population collectively, not for individuals. That’s even
though the entire text of the Bill of Rights applies to individuals, not the
collective populace.
The reason you haven’t heard a lot of noise coming out of these Democrats
is because they now find themselves in a very difficult position. They know
the possibility of losing the U.S. Senate in the next run of national
elections. And they have shown, over the last several years, that even
though in control, they are deathly afraid of the political clout of angry
gun owners.
So, they are in the unenviable position of having to either follow their
destructive idealistic, anti American consciences, or approve a bill that
many of them don’t really approve of. Our job is to get them to act, and
act NOW.
Write to your U.S. Senator. Tell them exactly what you are expecting from
them as Americans and as your representative in that great U.S. body. Tell
them you support H.R. 822 and you expect them to. Be polite, but write.
You will no doubt hear all kinds of hand wringing over the bill, and
disingenuous claims of what it involves. You will hear it takes away the
rights of states and blah, blah, blah.
What it does is simply allows people who are legally allowed to carry a
concealed firearm in one state the ability to travel without being arrested
in a state that does not have a reciprocity agreement with theirs. Here is
the core of the bill’s intent:
{`Sec. 926D. Reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms
`(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the law of any State or political
subdivision thereof, related to the carrying or transportation of firearms,
a person who is not prohibited by Federal law from possessing, transporting,
shipping, or receiving a firearm, and who is carrying a government-issued
photographic identification document and a valid license or permit which is
issued pursuant to the law of a State and which permits the person to carry
a concealed firearm, may carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun
or destructive device) that has been shipped or transported in interstate or
foreign commerce, in any State, other than the State of residence of the
person, that–
`(1) has a statute that allows residents of the State to obtain licenses or
permits to carry concealed firearms; or
`(2) does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms by residents of
the State for lawful purposes.
`(b) A person carrying a concealed handgun under this section shall be
permitted to carry a handgun subject to the same conditions or limitations
that apply to residents of the State who have permits issued by the State or
are otherwise lawfully allowed to do so by the State.
`(c) In a State that allows the issuing authority for licenses or permits to
carry concealed firearms to impose restrictions on the carrying of firearms
by individual holders of such licenses or permits, a firearm shall be
carried according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license or
permit issued to a resident of the State.
`(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt any provision of
State law with respect to the issuance of licenses or permits to carry
concealed firearms.’.}
The full bill and its progression may be read here. I encourage every gun
owner to read it and respond to the Senate’s lack of action to date.
Here is the NRA’s commentary on the bill.
As it is, some form of concealed carry is provided for in every state except
the odious state of Illinois. In some states it is so difficult and ridden
with regulation, it’s ridiculous. Every state that allows CC has some kind
of reciprocity agreement with other states (or not).
And what is obvious is the bewilderment of law abiding CCW carriers having
to travel between states, figuring out how to keep from being arrested in
every one of them.
With concealed carry advancing as it is, the time for this clarifying
national law is now. The success of this necessary and reasonable bill lies
in our hands.
Contact your senators and let them know what you and we collectively expect
from their response to HR 822. |
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