Gun Rights Work To Be Done At The State And Local Level
BY Herschel Smith
8 years ago
With the election of Donald Trump to the office of President of the United States, the tendency is to rest on our laurels and take a break. That’ a mistake, and the time to strike is now rather than later.
Gun rights advocates see the upcoming legislative session as their best shot yet to get rid of an Indiana law that requires a license to carry handguns.
The controversial legislation failed to advance during the 2016 session, but supporters think this time could be different after sweeping Republican victories on Election Day and with a new, gun-friendly lawmaker overseeing the committee that acts as a gatekeeper on such bills.
“I think the planets are aligned this year,” said Rep. Jim Lucas, a Seymour Republican who plans to file the bill when lawmakers convene in January.
He and other advocates of so-called “constitutional carry” — including the powerful National Rifle Association — see licensing requirements and fees as unnecessary impediments to the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. They want Indiana to join at least 11 other states that allow people to carry concealed handguns on their person or in their vehicles without a permit.
“I want to decriminalize our constitutional right to bear arms,” Lucas said. “Our right to self-defense shouldn’t be controversial.”
[ … ]
Indianapolis police say guns are being used more often in those killings. Of the 144 homicides last year, 84 percent involved guns. This year, guns have been involved in 91 percent of the homicides.
Getting rid of the state’s licensing requirement would only make it easier to carry a weapon, opponents of the legislation say.
“I would be totally against that. I think that’s nonsense and crazy,” said the Rev. Charles Harrison, a pastor at Barnes United Methodist Church who leads the Ten Point Coalition, an Indianapolis crime prevention group.
As you might expect, I’m 100% behind this effort, and I would like a reader in Indiana to keep me posted on the progress of this legislation. But with all due respect, this isn’t about stars aligning. I understand that this is a figure of speech, but the point is that this is all going to be about hard work, and in the case of Indiana, we’ll have to fight (in many cases) the police, and in other cases progressive clerics.
This week, Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia, proposed the first pro-gun measure for the upcoming legislative session, which convenes March 7.
The bill (HB 6001) would allow concealed weapon permit holders to carry guns in airport terminals. Guns are not allowed past the security checkpoint, and state law currently bans them in terminals except as checked baggage.
A similar plan failed to pass last year.
The Nov. 8 election secured strong Republican majorities in the Legislature and paved the way for a more gun-friendly state Senate.
“You’ve got, I believe, a much more favorable environment for Second Amendment legislation in the Senate,” said Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota. “The House has always been a place where those types of bills move pretty easily.”
This is all well and good, but he neglected to mention open carry, the very reason that we defeated Florida State Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, in his reelection bid. It’s time for the Florida politicians to go to the mattresses over this.
We’ve mentioned constitutional carry in Texas as an upcoming fight, and let’s not forget the defeat of State Senator Larry Martin in South Carolina over open carry legislation that he buried. It’s time to go to the mattresses in South Carolina.
There will never be a better time for us than the one we have right now. Rest is for when we get done. There are many miles to go before we rest.
On November 30, 2016 at 5:42 am, Francis W. Porretto said:
Excellently well put. A smart tactician always reinforces his successes. Troops must be poured into a breakthrough. Not only is success something to be capitalized on, it disorients the adversary, increasing the probability of additional breakthroughs.
On November 30, 2016 at 10:13 am, Fred said:
Stay on offense, always. Now is the time to go for the throat.
Linked at #Gab.ai
@ProGunFred
#2A
On November 30, 2016 at 11:45 am, Archer said:
Love the fear-mongering: Getting rid of the state’s licensing requirement would only make it easier to carry a weapon, opponents of the legislation say.
Not really, no. It’s almost painfully easy to carry a weapon now. Get a weapon, secure it on your body. Congrats, you’re carrying a weapon, simple as that.
What this proposed bill does is make it easier to carry a weapon legally (read: without running afoul of the law or law enforcement), and if we’re talking about peaceable, law-abiding citizens (who were the only people really affected by the licensing law anyway), I see no problems with making it easier, less expensive, more convenient, etc.
We’ll say it again: The people carrying weapons legally aren’t the people LEOs need to worry about entrusting with carrying weapons — expanding this group doesn’t bother me. It’s the people carrying weapons illegally that they need to worry about, and oddly enough (*snerk*), it’s already illegal.
On November 30, 2016 at 4:32 pm, Frank_in_Spokane said:
Of course, there’s still a good deal of work that needs to be done at the federal level.
Considering the adoption of non-discretionary concealed carry by most states in the last 30 years, a federal law that MUST be changed is the idiotic ban on the possession of firearms anywhere on US Postal Service property. How can somebody exercise their right-to-carry if federal law prohibits lawfully-armed citizens from picking up their mail or buying postage stamps?
If “shall not be infringed” doesn’t mean anything in US Post Offices — the single place where most Americans routinely interact with their national government — then it simply means nothing at all.
On November 30, 2016 at 7:29 pm, Pat Hines said:
The new stumbling block in the South Carolina Senate is Senator Hugh Leatherman, who is refusing to accept the position of Lt. Governor so that he can remain President Pro Tempore of the Senate, that is, so he can retain power and influence he’d lose in the executive.
While not categorically as bad as Larry Martin, he’s only better by a few degrees. He may step in to work the same evil Martin used to perpetrate.
On November 30, 2016 at 9:17 pm, hiernonymous said:
Hey, I just drove through SC this weekend. What a cluster. Dude, do you think you guys could take some time out from celebrating your whiteness or whatever to patch up your roads? Catch up to the rest of the country on the whole paving thing?
On November 30, 2016 at 11:29 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Yea, it’s awful. I’m interested to see what Pat says. I’ll respond after he does. There’s a story behind all of that.
On December 1, 2016 at 1:29 pm, Frank_in_Spokane said:
What’s this?
Someplace worse than Spokane? ;-)
On December 1, 2016 at 9:31 pm, Josh said:
Oh look, another jackass running his mouth about South Carolinians. Because all we do is celebrate whiteness here.
Idiot.
Some roads, not all, are a problem because of people like YOU, who drive through and gas up for nearly the cheapest tank of gas you’ll ever buy. And all the cheap shit you buy that has to be trucked in – well it’s cheap because we happen to have the largest inland port in the country, so you get the benefit of tractors driving up and down our interstates incessantly, buying the same cheap gas.
I’ll take some rough roads any day over more taxation, and I’ll fend off the obnoxious carpet baggers and their god state for as long as it takes.
EDIT: All of my neighbors are heavily armed, several fly Gadsden flags, the Fourth of July sounds like a war zone from all the gunfire, and we can still see our stars. I love South Carolina.
On December 1, 2016 at 10:02 pm, hiernonymous said:
“Oh look, another jackass running his mouth about South Carolinians. Because all we do is celebrate whiteness here.”
Grab a tissue and get over yourself, Sparky. That comment was aimed at the guy the post was, well, addressed to. Though if the shoe fits etc etc
“I’ll take some rough roads any day over more taxation, and I’ll fend off the obnoxious carpet baggers ”
Carpet baggers? Sir! First, I’m a Southerner myself. Admittedly, from a Southern state that can pave roads, but still. And second, I don’t want to live there. I don’t even really want to stay, though there’s a very nice motel outside Florence that’s a good stop on a long trip and lets me bring my dog, and the staff is very friendly.
Dude, the reason you’re defensive is because the comment is accurate. There are no doubt many, many reasons to love South Carolina, but your crap roads and debris-lined interstates aren’t one of them. And don’t try to sell incompetent road building as a point of patriotism.
“EDIT: All of my neighbors are heavily armed, several fly Gadsden flags, the Fourth of July sounds like a war zone from all the gunfire…”
If your roads didn’t suck so badly, you wouldn’t need all those weapons to fend off all of the refugees from the pileups seeking shelter in the local community. A little attention to your asphalt and it’s a win-win.
On November 30, 2016 at 11:32 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Then here’s your assignment, if you choose to accept it. Give me primary source material on this guy. I’ll collate and post on him, and within a few weeks I’ll own the Google search engine ratings on him just like I did for Larry Martin. His station in life is irrelevant. His policy positions are everything. If he’s what you say he is, I’ll savage him. We’ll get rid of him too.
On December 1, 2016 at 2:55 am, Pat Hines said:
I’ll see what I can do.
On November 30, 2016 at 9:32 pm, Scott said:
I have not seen any discussion re concealed reciprocity and constitutional carry. With no license, am I limited to carrying in my State? Maybe you could weigh in on the subject. I think national reciprocity may be better than constitutional carry in Texas, speaking as a Texan with a license.
On November 30, 2016 at 11:21 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Yup. I want national carry reciprocity, SBRs off the NFA items list, and suppressors off the NFAs items list.
http://www.captainsjournal.com/2016/11/13/donald-trumps-gun-proposals/
That’s only a partial list. But since this specific post was meant to encourage folks to refocus on local too, I didn’t bring it up.