“The right to self defense is unquestionable and the right to carry a firearm is recognized in our Constitution,” said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL). “Today, 48 states have laws permitting concealed carry of a firearm in some circumstances, and this legislation would allow any person with a valid state-issued concealed firearm carry permit or license to carry a concealed handgun in any other state.”Link
Stearns, joined by Rep. Health Shuler (D-NC), offered H.R. 822, the National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act. Noted Stearns, “It is important to note this bill would not create a federal licensing system. It would merely require states to recognize each other’s carry permits, just as they recognize drivers` licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards.”
Forty states, accounting for two-thirds of the U.S. population, have right-to-carry laws. Thirty-six have “shall issue” permit laws (including Alaska, which also allows carrying without a permit), three have fairly administered “discretionary issue” permit laws, and Vermont allows carrying without a permit. (Eight states have restrictive discretionary issue laws.) Most right-to-carry states have adopted their laws in the last decade.
Added Stearns, “Citizens with carry permits are more law-abiding than the general public. In my home state of Florida, only 0.01% of nearly 1.2 million permits issued have been revoked because of firearm crimes by permit holders. States with right-to-carry laws have lower violent crime rates. According to FBI figures, on average the rate is 22% lower for total violent crime, 30% lower for murder, 46% lower for robbery, and 12% lower for aggravated assault, compared to the rest of the country.”
Monday, February 28, 2011
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So, what happened to States' Rights. Are conservatives giving it up? Why some what people want in Florida affect people in California?
ReplyDeleteOops, "some" should be "should".
ReplyDeleteI don't think this speaks to overriding states rights at all. The bill clearly states a reciprocity between those states who already issue concealed carry permits to it's residents. Most states also already issue reciprocity to some other states, but the overall system is a patchwork that forces one to buy a book or conduct some other research on ones ability to carry outside of residential borders.
ReplyDeleteI can't fathom too large of an issue arising from this and certainly not one of an ideological nature.
The problem is that requirements for concealed firearm permits vary greatly from state to state. It's not like a driver's license where requirements are very similar. What's allowed in one state may not be allow in another.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTPyzgQh4Fo
ReplyDelete