Free Republic

On Monday, February 14 the Utah senate voted 25 to 0 to restrict the issue of Utah CCW permits to those people who already have a permit from their state of residence. Exemptions were made for those states who do not have recognize the Utah permit as valid. Legislators were concerned that some states, notably New Mexico and Nevada had withdrawn recognition of the Utah permit. It has been suggested that the ease of obtaining a Utah permit has undercut the demand for the Nevada and New Mexico permits, reducing revenues from the permit systems in those States. In addition,...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   Pennsylvania: House Judiciary Committee to Consider Attack on Concealed Carry on Tuesday, August 10!   Friday, August 06, 2010   Please Contact the Members of the House Judiciary Committee Today!On Tuesday, August 10, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on legislation that would restrict the recognition of reciprocity agreements for “concealed carry” license holders in Pennsylvania.  House Bill 2536, introduced by State Representative Brian Lentz (D-161), would prohibit a resident of the Commonwealth from carrying a concealed firearm with a license issued from another state.  For example, a Pennsylvanian...

— — Last year, the U.S. Senate voted to defeat a promising gun rights provision. Introduced by Sen. John Thune, it would have granted national reciprocity for concealed-carry permits, requiring all states that allow concealed firearms to honor those permits of other states. A majority of the senators — 58 in total — voted in favor of the amendment. Another 39 did not and the bill saw defeat as this tally put the measure two votes short of the 60 required for passage by Senate rules. The 39 “no” votes got a lot of help from an organization called Mayors...

"One of the legislative items most sought by America's 100 million law-abiding firearm owners is universal acceptance of permits to carry concealed firearms issued by a state," says gun rights expert John M. Snyder. "Gun owners believe that if a citizen has a permit to carry a concealed firearm issued by a state he or she should be able to carry that gun in any state," adds Snyder, Public Affairs Director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. "Now we know that police, too, support this concept," he adds. Snyder says that, "national reciprocity for...

Senator Cale Case http://legisweb.state.wy.us/ Thumbs up to Senator Cale Case, he has introduced legislation to fix the conceal-carry blunder from earlier this year. SF 26 - Eligibility concealed weapons permit, will fix what Freuedenthal's appointee decided was a problem. Ultimately, WyGO / Wyoming Gun Owners supports legislation that lets anyone with a permit from any state carry in Wyoming. If an individual has a concealed carry permit from their own state, no matter what we interpret from their state law, who are we to say they cannot carry in Wyoming? Even if that state doesn't reciprocate, we must lead by...

Earlier this week, Senator John Thune offered a Concealed Carry Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill. Today, the Senator issued the following statement after his bipartisan amendment allowing individuals to lawfully carry concealed firearms across state lines under the condition that the laws of the host state are obeyed was defeated by a vote of 58 to 39: "Today, overheated rhetoric and fearmongering overcame common sense. My amendment would allow responsible firearms owners to protect themselves while obeying the firearms laws of the states they visit. The individual right to self-defense should not end at the state line. Despite today's...

Tomorrow morning the US Senate will vote on whether to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry handguns across state lines. The legislation sponsored by Senator John Thune (R, SD) would only allow reciprocity in permitting, as anybody would still be required to obey the laws of the states that they travel in. This is the same way driver's licenses work. Yet, gun control advocates are predicting the worst. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D, NJ) warns it is an "attempt by the gun lobby to put its radical agenda ahead of safety and security in our communities." Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D,...

Today the so-called Thune amendment to require states to accept each other’s handgun carry permits failed 2 votes short of the Senate’s 60 vote cloture requirement. Senator Thune’s (R – South Dakota) bill was a great idea in intent, but the mechanics were unconstitutional. . . . Congressional members who are serious about encouraging inter-state gun carry permit recognition should do things the right way via the Congress' enumerated federal powers. First, Congress should knock off the "do as I say and not as I do" stuff and legalize all state gun carry permits in the District of Columbia, Puerto...

The State of Wyoming has announced they are dropping reciprocity with fifteen states because their "concealed firearm permit statutes are not sufficiently similar to Wyoming’s." Ohio was one of only eight states kept. As listed on their website: The Wyoming Attorney General holds that if a misdemeanor drug conviction disqualifies a Wyoming resident, it also needs to disqualify an out-of-state permit holder. Due to the difference in how each state handles controlled substance convictions, Wyoming is also limited in our ability to maintain reciprocity with states we may have previously. Wyoming recognizes concealed firearm permits from the following states. Accordingly,...

www.gunowners.org/a061808.htmJun 2008 Vitter To Introduce Concealed Carry Reciprocity Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 (703)321-8585 Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is planning to introduce a concealed carry reciprocity bill next week. Senator Vitter had been working closely with Gun Owners of America to draft and file a reciprocity amendment a few weeks ago, but that amendment, unfortunately, never saw the light of day -- thanks to powerful opponents inside the Senate. However, Sen. Vitter has continued undaunted and last week sent a Dear Colleague letter to his fellow senators, asking them...

www.gunowners.org/a051308.htmMay 2008 Senator Vitter To Offer Concealed Carry Reciprocity Amendment -- Action needed right away! Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 (703)321-8585 Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Senator David Vitter (R-LA) has filed a pro-gun amendment to HR 980, and it could be voted on as early as tomorrow! This amendment would protect the right of citizens to carry concealed weapons (outside of their home state) in states that allow concealed carry. Sen. Vitter explains that his amendment does not violate the rights of states as it "does NOT establish national standards for concealed carry,...

I'll Never Go to Baja Again They were looking forward to surfing the uncrowded south swell. A pending protest at the border on Friday was sure to slow down the normal throngs of south bound surfers. Baja at dusk. It should be an exciting time, but not a life threatening one. It was 4 a.m. Friday morning, August 31. Duke, Walt and Roger, three buddies from North San Diego County, were headed down to Mexico keen on surfing the predicted south swell. Their destination: San Carlos, Baja California for a Labor Day holiday weekend filled with surfing, kite surfing and...

This week marks the second anniversary of Benedict XVI’s papacy. Two years is but a blink of an eye in the history of this 2000 year-old institution. But it is enough to identify the particular lines being pursued by Catholicism’s theologian-pope. In one sense, the papacy’s role is eternal, whoever occupies Peter’s chair. It is to assist the Catholic Church in spreading the Christian message, to be the focus of unity for Catholics (particularly bishops) worldwide, and to explain and defend Catholicism’s essential teachings. For most people, that would seem more than enough to do. But each pope also brings...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   The Stearns/Boucher Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Bill   H.R. 226, introduced by U.S. Representatives Cliff Stearns’ (R-Fla.) and Rich Boucher (D-Va.), would allow any person with a valid concealed firearm carrying permit or license, issued by a state, to carry a concealed firearm in any state, as follows: In states that issue concealed firearm permits, a state’s laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within its borders. In states that do not issue carry permits, a federal "bright-line" standard would permit carrying in places other than police stations; courthouses; public...

Westerners sometimes assume that Europe and North America are always on the side of the angels when it comes to religious freedom, so that the “reciprocity” question dear to Pope Benedict XVI is largely a matter of bringing the Islamic world up to Western standards of tolerance and liberty. In fact, however, the reciprocity question can be complicated in the West too, in a way that certainly doesn’t escape the attention of Muslim eyes. The rubber hits the road in places such as the blue collar neighborhood of Cornigliano in the Italian port city of Genoa, where plans by Italian...

The latest example of Washington's disturbing tendency to do Mexico's bidding concerns the popular bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, whom U.S. marshals arrested last month. Mr. Chapman's crime? In June 2003, he apprehended Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where the convicted rapist had fled some five months earlier. Because of Mr. Chapman, Luster is now serving his 124-year sentence in California. We think this makes Mr. Chapman a hero; but the Mexican government says he's a criminal. Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico. So, when Mr. Chapman brought Luster into custody in Mexico he too was detained. But after...

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has called for improved rights for Christians in Muslim countries. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor told the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies they should have the same freedoms as Muslims in countries such as Britain. He said the image of Islam was damaged when the religious rights of minorities in Muslim nations are denied. Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor urged British Muslims to speak out on the issue. In Tuesday's lecture, he said : "Where Christians are being denied their rights, or are subject to Sharia law, that is not a matter on which...

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI on Monday called on Islamic countries to safeguard Catholics living there and on both Muslims and Catholics to show 'mutual respect' towards each other. Addressing a Vatican conference on immigration to and from the Islamic world, Benedict said the Roman Catholic Church was 'committed' to interreligious dialogue. 'We are living at a time in which Christians are called to nurture an open style of dialogue on religious issues,' Benedict said. At the same time, 'we are increasingly aware of the importance of reciprocity' - a term used to indicate the need for Islamic countries...

The Mexican government said Tuesday it was stepping up security at detention centers for illegal Cuban migrants after a group of detainees fought police officers and held a guard against his will — the seventh uprising or mass escape by Cubans in a year. Officials also will deny political asylum to those involved in the latest conflict. "After these acts, changes will certainly have to be reviewed to increase the level of security" at immigration holding centers like the one in Mexico City where a dozen Cubans rioted and briefly took over the facilities Monday, presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said....

21 February Civilian 'Minutemen' to Help Patrol Border This is the headline which caught my attention. The headline was on FoxNews.. I'm not one for vigilante-ism. No. However, I think they're on the right path. For far too long, the US government has hee'd and haw'd about "what to do." Well, it would look like some concerned citizens of the good ol' US remember back when there wasn't enough of a government to do anything. That brought the original "Minutemen." It's now full circle. Again, US citizens have said "enough is enough" and are taking an active position on the...