National concealed carry?

[swifteagle]

Does anyone else find the current difficulty of concealed or open carry as we travel from state to state a bit ridiculous? For example, why can't Washington, Oregon, Nevada, & California recognize the validity of my Arizona CCW permit? Traveling is one of the least safe things we do as many predators look for travelers. Why then is my 2nd Amendment right to bear arms infringed by all these other States?

Anyone have ideas on how we can fix this problem? I'm thinking Federal legislation that requires reciprocity from state to state for travelers similar to marriage & drivers licenses might be a good start. Even better would be a Federal law saying that the states are not allowed to infringe on our right to bear arms. Where in the 2nd Amendment does it say we can bear arms as long as we are not in our car or walking down a city street?

[Torch]

Federalization is a bad thing as far as I'm concerned. The founding fathers intended this county to be run mostly by the states. I'm a big 10th ammendment supporter and don't like the idea of federalizing anything.

In short, I don't think we have a 'problem' at all.

[rabywk]

Federalization is a bad thing as far as I'm concerned. The founding fathers intended this county to be run mostly by the states. I'm a big 10th ammendment supporter and don't like the idea of federalizing anything.

In short, I don't think we have a 'problem' at all.

Torch,

You don't live in IL!!!!!!

[Torch]

I suppose if I lived in an anti state that I'd have a differnt outlook. Sorry for being so short sighted. Still, I think the answer is to let the states decide this issue. If the right to carry is granted at the federal level then the elimination of the same right is at the federal level. That scares this Texan.

[Packingpadre]

I also believe reciprocity should be left to the states, but Legislatures must make it easier for agreements to be worked out. Until this year, Maine allowed the State Police chief to negotiate reciprocity with only two states, so nothing was done. The 2007 Legislature passed a bill, signed into law by the governor, that allows for unlimited reciprocity agreements. So far, no results, but I know it will take time. I had to get a New Hampshire non-resident permit just to carry through that state to visit family in Vermont, one of the sanest states in the nation on concealed carry.

Dan
"An armed society is a polite society." Robert Heinlein

[Constitution Cowboy]

National CCW would be de facto recognition and "approval" by Congress of all the unconstitutional law in the several states that makes bearing arms illegal, necessitating the creation of concealed carry permit laws - which are actually exceptions to the laws against carrying concealed arms. I believe our goal should be the removal of the unconstitutional laws that are in the way of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms instead.

There is no logical reason to infringe upon the RKBA unless you are a tyrannical despotic dictator.

The current reciprocity agreements and/or state-to-state permit recognitions are sufficient for the time being. I wouldn't entrench the permit system any deeper than it is now. Involving the Union in this process will placate too many of us - to the point that this battle to unfetter our rights will be put on the back burner (if left on the stove at all). We can't afford another segment of our brethren to be placated like the majority of the police community we lost when HR 218 became law.

Woody

"Knowing the past, I'll not surrender any arms and march less prepared into the future." B.E.Wood

[BluesStringer]

The 10th Amendment only applies to issues which are not addressed within The Bill of Rights. The 2nd Amendment most certainly precludes any valid states' rights claims of authority to control the issue. States should have no authority to infringe on any aspect of our free exercise of any constitutionally-recognized right. If you have to ask your state government for permission and/or pay them to exercise your God-given, unalienable federal rights, just how much weight do those rights carry to begin with?

The only concealed weapons permit any law-abiding citizen should have to possess is that which we were all born with; the 2nd Amendment. I believe all CWPs are unconstitutional. The 10th Amendment doesn't even enter into the equation as far as I'm concerned.

Blues

[ishi]

National CCW would be de facto recognition and "approval" by Congress of all the unconstitutional law in the several states that makes bearing arms illegal, necessitating the creation of concealed carry permit laws - which are actually exceptions to the laws against carrying concealed arms. I believe our goal should be the removal of the unconstitutional laws that are in the way of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms instead.

There is no logical reason to infringe upon the RKBA unless you are a tyrannical despotic dictator.

The current reciprocity agreements and/or state-to-state permit recognitions are sufficient for the time being. I wouldn't entrench the permit system any deeper than it is now. Involving the Union in this process will placate too many of us - to the point that this battle to unfetter our rights will be put on the back burner (if left on the stove at all). We can't afford another segment of our brethren to be placated like the majority of the police community we lost when HR 218 became law.

Woody

Woody, thanks for a thought-provoking piece well-rooted in constitutional law. For those that aren't familiar with HR 218, it created a federal exemption to concealed carry laws for LEOs, implicitly recognizing state bans on citizen concealed carry as legitimate.

[BluesStringer]

Most of you have probably seen this before, but here's Ted Nugent making reference, among others, to the topic at hand. The guy isn't my favorite guitar player or singer or songwriter, but he is definitely my favorite articulator of 2nd Amendment advocacy. His logic is impeccable. His knowledge of history and constitutional intent, and his ability to convey both, is inspirational. He maybe could improve on his manners, but truthfully, his brutal honesty and bluntness is as attractive to me as the righteousness of the concepts he argues in favor of. Anyway, it's 3 minutes of your time that won't be wasted.

Blues

[ElZorro]

Marriage and driving licenses are not universally recognized by any Federal mandate. It's all reciprocity between the STATE Governments.

Witness the spate of state law amendments after some states recognized "same-sex" marriages; many states specifically redacted their full recognization of those states' marriage licenses, eliminating the same-sex.

Also; driving license reciprocity is managed by a private organization that coordinates with the various states' DOTs to keep us all driving nonchalantly across state lines.

A similar organization and cooperation by the states could easily handle this idiotic "national CCW" idea.

BTW, Nugent nowhere addresses this idea of national licensing but, rather, espouses the clear fact that 2A doesn't exclude compliance by the states, so we defacto already have universal carry rights. It's just that the states have been allowed to usurp the right.

ElZorro