The advancement of the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity was a big move. While it’s still got a long way to go, the fact that the bill advanced at all was huge. I really didn’t think Congress had it in them.
Yeah, I’m thrilled that this happened, though I’m skeptical of it actually passing.
But for now, I take my wins where I can get them.
And I’m not the only one happy with what happened. The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is also pretty happy about it.
From a press release:
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is congratulating Congressman Jim Jordan for leading the House Judiciary Committee in voting to advance H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.
The 18-9 party-line vote came following a lengthy debate, with Jordan reminding his colleagues, “Our First Amendment rights do not change from one state to another and our Second Amendment rights should not either. Law-abiding citizens should be able to a concealed firearm between states without worrying about conflicting state criminal laws or onerous civil suits.”
“We’re delighted at the outcome of this contentious hearing, and we are hopeful the full House quickly passes this bill and sends it over to the Senate,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Nobody should leave his or her right of self-defense at the border when they cross over into another state. The Founders never envisioned such a scenario when they ratified the Constitution. Law-abiding, licensed citizens do not commit violent crimes.
“Our very essence as an organization is to protect and defend the right to bear arms,” Gottlieb continued. “We’re gratified that other Second Amendment organizations are also on board, so we are in very good company.”
Gottlieb noted that in January, CCRKBA went on several national cable networks urging Americans to sign a petition demanding that Congress pass this measure. As of Wednesday midday, the bill reportedly has 178 co-sponsors, giving it plenty of momentum.
“We’re delighted to be part of this effort, and to have spurred countless Americans to sign our petition,” Gottlieb said. “We will continue encouraging all gun owners to get behind H.R. 38 and make concealed carry reciprocity a reality.”
And here’s the thing to remember. While there are still enough Democrats to jam this thing up, particularly in the Senate, if enough gun owners make their voices heard, at least some of those anti-gun senators will shut up and vote for the bill.
Really, there are only a handful of really anti-gun lawmakers. The rest just say what they need to get elected. If enough gun owners pressure them to change their tune, they will or face losing their seat.
That means that while it’s unlikely that the reciprocity bill will pass, there’s still a way to make that change.
And really, as Gottlieb notes above, we don’t leave our rights behind at the state line. My marriage isn’t null and void if we move to Tennessee or Texas, or even California, God forbid. My driver’s license–and driving isn’t even considered a right, mind you–is good in all 50 states. I can speak freely here in Georgia or when I cross the line into Florida.
Why do my gun rights suddenly have limits?
So yeah, this needs to happen, and we need to pull out all of the stops to make it happen.
Read the full article here
