SMRs and AMRs

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

NYT editorial: Gun Crazy in the Senate

On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to vote on the latest assault on public safety in the name of gun ownership. Introduced as an amendment to the military’s budget bill by Senator John Thune, a Republican of South Dakota, this radical measure would nullify the laws of almost every state, subjecting police officers to greater risk and increasing the potential for gun violence.

Nearly all states issue licenses to carry concealed firearms, but the criteria for granting such permits vary widely, and it is now, sensibly, up to each state to decide whether to accept another state’s permits.

At least 35 states prevent people from carrying concealed weapons if they have certain misdemeanor convictions. At least 31 states prohibit alcohol abusers from obtaining a concealed carry permit and require gun safety training. The Thune amendment would force states with more restrictive standards to accept concealed carry permits from states with less stringent rules — in effect giving the lax rules national reach.

Passage of the amendment would make it much harder for law enforcement to distinguish between legal and illegal possession of a firearm. It would be a boon for illegal gun traffickers, making it easier to transport weapons across state lines without being caught.

(Continued here.)

1 Comments:

Blogger Minnesota Central said...

My reading of Senate Amendment 1618 (re : S. 1390 DOD funding ... why that's in this bill is just WRONG) is that the gunowner must comply with the rules when in a visiting State [by the terms subject to the same laws and conditions]. (see below)

There are a number of concerns.
#1. The legislation states that the individual has the right to bear arms for the purpose of self-defense (you may recall that this was the basis of Senator Coburn (a cosponsor of the amendment) questioning of Judge Sotomayor). I don't know if the US Constitution states that.
#2. It's a State's Rights issue. Generally, conservative thinking is that the Federal Government shouldn't impose rules on the States ... yet that is what Thune's amendment does.
#3. It's a revenue question. If you visit another state, you may have to purchase a license to hunt/fish ... yet this just grants the individual the right to carry without paying any fees.
#4. Would this be a backdoor way for someone to obtain a license by going to another state (i.e winter vacation in Arizona where you declare residency, obtain a conceal and carry license, then return to Minnesota.)

THE AMENDMENT :
``(b) A person carrying a concealed firearm under this section shall--
``(1) in a State that does not prohibit the carrying of a concealed firearms by residents of the State for lawful purposes, be entitled to carry such firearm subject to the same laws and conditions that govern the specific places and manner in which a firearm may be carried by a resident of the State; or

``(2) in a State that allows residents of the State to obtain licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms, be entitled to carry such a firearm subject to the same laws and conditions that govern specific places and manner in which a firearm may be carried by a person issued a permit by the State in which the firearm is carried.

``(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 of or permit issued to a resident of the State.

10:45 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home