Congressman Massie Introduces Gun Carry Reciprocity For D.C.
BY Herschel Smith
7 years, 4 months ago
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) introduced a bill on Thursday that would require Washington, D.C., to honor valid gun-carry permits from other states.
Rep. Massie said the D.C. Personal Protection Reciprocity Act was a direct reaction to last week’s attack on Republican congressmen at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va., which left four injured.
“After the horrific shooting at the Republican Congressional Baseball practice, there will likely be calls for special privileges to protect politicians,” Rep. Massie said in a statement. “Our reaction should instead be to protect the right of all citizens guaranteed in the Constitution: the right to self-defense. I do not want to extend a special privilege to politicians, because the right to keep and bear arms is not a privilege, it is a God-given right protected by our Constitution.”
Since we believe in incrementalism, a little here, a little there, I support this bill. Good for Congressman Massie, who apparently understands that he is supposed to be a servant rather than a ruler. Or so it would seem.
However, be warned, the progs will try to load this bill up with every spending abomination, every dollar they can float to their constituency, and if they can, national standards for permits. If this happens, I withdraw my support.
If this bill passes without amendments and riders, then we can shoot for national reciprocity or even national constitutional carry later.
I’m not holding my breath.
On June 21, 2017 at 4:17 am, Nosmo said:
Don’t confuse Massey’s bill with any aspect of national reciprocity; the District of Columbia, as the Constitutionally-designated home of the United States’ federal government, is a wholly-owned subordinate of the U.S. Congress.
D.C. has “home rule” which allows its residents to elect their own local management because Congress granted them that privilege, and “privilege” is specifically not a “right.” Because D.C. residents get to vote for their own politicians, and vote in presidential elections, and has non-voting “representation” in Congress, many have confused those Congressionally-granted privileges with independence.
Congress owns the District of Columbia in the proverbial “lock, stock and barrel” sense and, as such, can direct D.C. to conform to whatever Congress wishes, within the confines of the United States Constitution and existing judical decisions on constitutionality.
Massey’s bill is in complete compliance with all that. It is totally different from anything as constitutionally complicated as national CWP reciprocity among the Several States and should not be confused with such; national reciprocity is a completely different, and much more complex, discussion.