Three Quick Things Second Amendment Supporters Should Expect from a Trump Administration

Gun Watch ^ | 11 November, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Donald Trump made a number of promises when he was campaigning to be the President of the United States.  Many of them can be  achieved fairly quickly. Some will be fought, tooth and nail by "Progressive" dominated states.  Here are three that can be done quickly and should be insisted upon.

First:  Appoint Antonin Scalia literalists to the Supreme Court.  This was the cornerstone of President Trump's support for the Second Amendment.  Trump should push for this fast and hard.  He should be held to this promise on any future court appointees.  From donaldtrump.com:

Appoint justices to the United States Supreme Court who will uphold our laws and our Constitution. The replacement for Justice Scalia will be a person of similar views and principles who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Trump on the Second Amendment:

The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period. The Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that belongs to all law abiding Americans. The Constitution doesn’t create that right it ensures that the government can’t take it away. Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self defense, plain and simple.

Appointing one or more justices who will be true to the Constitution as written, is the most likely policy to be fiercely opposed by gun haters.  By acting quickly, President Trump can get his choice through with the minimum of contention and delay.

Second: National reciprocity for the "bear arms" part of the Second Amendment. This has been a major plank in Donald Trump's platform.  Here it is:

NATIONAL RIGHT TO CARRY.

The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving which is a privilege, not a right then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.

The proper vehicle for implementing this promise has already been introduced in Congress.  It is HR 923.

Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, who is entitled and not prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence or who is carrying a valid state license or permit to carry a concealed weapon, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document, to carry a concealed handgun (which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, other than a machine gun or destructive device) in any state in accordance with the restrictions of that state.

Provides that 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 license or permit holders, an individual carrying a concealed handgun under this Act shall be permitted to carry it according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license or permit issued by such state. 

There have been the votes in the Senate and House to pass national reciprocity for 10 years.  President Bush did not make it a priority. The Congress knew President Obama would veto it.  Pass HR 923 quickly, while Democrat Senators still fear the strength of the gun lobby.

The third thing Donald Trump can do quickly is end the gun free zones on military bases .  He can tell the Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare an order to allow military members to carry on post and in recruit centers, to be able to protect themselves.

MILITARY BASES AND RECRUITING CENTERS.
Banning our military from carrying firearms on bases and at recruiting centers is ridiculous. We train our military how to safely and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless. To make America great again, we need a strong military. To have a strong military, we need to allow them to defend themselves.

Bonus. There is a fourth thing where President Trump does not have to do anything, but he should get some credit.  He will keep the Protection of the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA)

Elimination of the PLCAA  was a major plank of the Hillary Clinton platform. The PLCAA stopped the lawfare designed to destroy gun manufacturers in the United States.   This is the easiest policy to enact.  Nothing is required.  President Trump should get credit for doing nothing in this case.  It is an enormous improvement over a Clinton presidency.

President Trump can do much more, some things are easy, some a bit more complicated.  I will leave those for a future article.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

There is much more that Donald Trump will do to protect the Second Amendment, but these may be the first three.

[1L]

Remove suppressors and SBRs from the NFA.

[Uncle Sam 911]

Great start on protecting the 2nd amendment. Now to protect the rest of the constitution from those who hate it.

[JonPreston]

I suppose state laws will need to be followed, such as 7 rounds max in NY & no hollow points in NJ?

[RedStateRocker]

We need a national carry permit; reciprocity is no good if you live in CA where you can’t get a permit (and yes, we are always trying to fight the gun grabbers).

Number 4- reinvigorate the CMP

[WildHighlander57]

From the article, says one can conceal carry:

“...in any state in accordance with the restrictions of that state. ...”

Now, to find out the CCW rules for CA, NY, etc.

Lots of folks go on vacation and may either have to go thru, or to, those states.

[marktwain]

No national carry permit, unless it is for international reciprocity.

Better with a court ruling that the right to bear arms is indeed in the Second Amendment.

I believe that will come with a Trump Court. National Reciprocity is an intermediate step.

[Daveinyork]

Disband ATF, and make licenses to carry covered by the full faith and credit clause.

[Lazamataz]

Dean, what about silencers... any chance of us getting a little hearing protection finally?

[ari-freedom]

A national carry permit could lead to a national uncarry permit. It should be up to the states to offer these permits. They just need to be accepted by the rest of the country, just like driver’s licenses

[umgud]

Reciprocity is fine, but does nothing for all the folks in may issue states (CA, others) who can’t get permits. Id rather see no permit required to exercise a constitutional right.

[marktwain]

The Hearing Protection Act has already been introduced.

It will pass. It is very simple, elegant really. It is a superb intermediate step.

It removes silenders, gun mufflers, suppressors from the category of firearms in the National Firearms Act, and move them into the same category as long guns, rifles and shotguns.

It is a brilliant move.

Some think it will pass in the first 60 days. It could happen.

[NorthMountain]

Repeal the NFA. Repeal the GCA. Repeal the Hughes Amendment.

[ctdonath2]

Suppressor legalization is likely, if we lobby appropriately. Trump’s son had a long & favorable interview with the head of SilencerCo, and if that enthusiasm reaches the Donald AND enough legislators, we’ll see suppressors off the NFA list.

While we’re at it, my pet variant:
Overturn 922(o) modern machinegun ban.
If we can’t get that legislatively, then Trump could REALLY melt Leftist brains by issuing an Executive Order directing the BATFE to apply the 922(o)(2)(A) exemption, under his explicit authority, to all applicants (to wit: law-abiding citizens) and practically eviscerate the ban.

[Jim Noble]

Even faster - can be done in one day - recognition of any state permit by the District of Columbia.

[Jim Noble]

We need a national carry permit

Only if it's as easy to get as my NH permit. By the time Congress writes national rules, no one will get one.

[alternatives?]

My recollection was the ATF imposed a ban on importing old military surplus rifles such as the M1 Garand and M1 Carbine. It would be good to remove.

[Reno89519]

That isn’t so clear in the article that says follow state laws. Bad! Need common recognition of rights and pre-emotion of any state and local laws.

[Reno89519]

Congress can do that immediately.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Number 4- reinvigorate the CMP

Yes!

Of course they're about out of M1 Garands and Carbines. The good news is that if they get rid of the NFA and Hughes amendment there will be millions of M16-A1s available.