Posted on 02/27/2007 12:23:00 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
Recently, Senator John Thune (R-SD) introduced legislation calling for a national reciprocity of right-to-carry (RTC) licenses for firearm owners across the nation. This bill mirrors one introduced in the House by Representative Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and seeks to create a national system of state-to-state recognition of various RTC licenses and permits.
Much like the recognition of our drivers’ licenses state-to-state, law enforcement officers in Florida would recognize an RTC license or permit issued in Texas. This legislation would eliminate the hassle of having to apply for and carry RTC licenses for each and every state in the Union. The bill not only dispenses with this inconvenience, but also keeps the matter state regulated rather than becoming the responsibility of the U.S. Government.
The importance of this bill cannot be understated. To quote Charlton Heston, former President of the NRA, “the Second Amendment is America’s first freedom.” The American citizen’s right to bear and present arms is one that has been around since this nation’s inception and has continually stood the test of time. If this bill were to pass, the “right to carry” would be an easy way to keep safe no matter where one traveled in America, which was the intention of our founding fathers.
The bill, currently under review by the Senate Judiciary Committee, has gathered considerable clout and the co-sponsorship of 20 Senators, including our own Senator Cornyn!
As Senator Thune emphatically stated, “I strongly support the Second Amendment, which protects ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms.’ I support legislation to protect the American firearms industry.”
If this bill passes through Congress, it will be a milestone for those who exercise their Second Amendment rights, as well as a show of cooperation between the states. I urge you to call Senator Hutchison today and ask her to join Senator Cornyn in support of this historic piece of legislation.
[Gina Parker Ford -CEO of Dental Creations, Ltd., a dental manufacturing company, and a successful attorney - is the National Eagle Forum Chairman for Judicial Reform. Mrs. Ford also served as a Bush and Perry appointee to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. She serves on the American Family Radio Advisory Board (Texas), and she was both the former Republican Party of Texas Treasurer and Associate General Counsel. For more information, please visit www.ginaparker.net.]
If you have no need for your second amendment rights, then you have no need for the first amendment either. So shut up and quit posting.
If you're a little crazy and want sights to help you see in the dark, get Trijicon night sights. I've seen them mentioned in a book or two, by Richard Marcinko himself, so they must be pretty good.
"Why now? Why not 2 or 4 years ago when it could have passed?"
Because, you know, they had far more important things to work on.
No child left behind
Mcain Feingold
You know.. important stuff.
as a point of clarity, how will they deal with the disparity in where right to carry covers?
In some states you cant go into a bar or court house while others have no such restriction.
Most traffic laws have been made essentially uniform in the country so drivers are able to know the rules whereever they go.
Then again, the elites of Washington DC and NYC are petrified of the citizens.
Agreed, the R's should have brought it up after the '04 elections, and agreed that the DemonRats will block it now. However, this is a great issue for conservative candidates to bring up as a national issue for 2008. Make the RATS oppose this!
I took offense to that.
I live in a good area of Stamford, CT, and being here I have no use for a gun at the moment.
Read again: AT THE MOMENT. I'm sure that would change given the correct but grave circumstances.
And never attack me again.
DOA with the Democrats.
Many states already have reciprocity. If I read the article right the bill is crafted in a way to leave things still at the state level.
The restrictions would then probably be left up to individual cities like NY, DC, Boston, etc.
At least I hope that's how it would go. I'm hopeful but of course this is government and so a patriot must be skeptical.
If something like this was to pass, would I be subject to even more abuse as a citizen of Illinois than I am now?
What I mean by that is this, would people not from within this state be able to carry here while I would still be unable to do so?
Did you read the article? The proposal is not to create a national CCW permit. It is to require states to recognize other states' CCW permits.
[Only problem is at the moment, I have no use for a firearm =\]
Body guards and body armour, huh? I wish I could afford personal protection like that. :o)
The whole concept of specifying a "Right to Carry" conveys the message that the 2nd Amendment is for reference only. I refuse to consider getting a RTC permit in Texas as I don't want any government to know whether or not I have a firearm.
actually this is a very reasonable outgrowth of law school year one supremacy type stuff.
The name of the case escapes me but it was in the early days of the USA and some boat captain was being denied passage in navagable waters because NY or NJ demanded he have an additional state license.
This is no different than the fact we have cross state recognition of our DLs but each state issues them seperatly.
(beware because lawyers will ask for this next on their licenses.)
Ok, so we "require" states to recognize other's ccw.
So, NJ starts to whine that the holders in PA don't measure up to their standards of issue. Do you REALLY believe the fedgov will tell NJ to STFU? Or, the most likely scenario is that they will tell PA to stiffen up their laws to comply with NJ.
This is a case where they will work toward the lowest common denominator. The state with THE MOST RESTRICTIVE issue will prevail.
Tell me "That ain't gonna happen" and I'll tell you you're a babe in the woods. That's what cigarette smokers said in the '60s about smoking bans in the office.
The law of unintended consequences. If you let them get one millimeter of control, you just lost everything.
I'd be my own bodyguard ;D
Which, frankly, I don't think is unreasonable. With the growth of electronic databases of information, as a policy matter, there is little reason to limit the admission of attorneys to individual states, especially considering that attorneys in firms of any size will always have litigation or transactional work that finds them in dozens of different states.
But when you need one, you need it very very much!
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