Thread: House Approves National Right-to-Carry Bill

House Approves National Right-to-Carry Bill

Updated: Thursday, 17 Nov 2011, 6:18 AM MST
Published : Thursday, 17 Nov 2011, 6:18 AM MST
By NewsCore

WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives Wednesday passed a bill that would allow gun owners with a concealed-weapons permit issued by one state to carry their concealed firearms in other states.

The bill, officially named H.R. 822 or the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, passed the lower chamber by a vote of 272-154.

The measure would apply to all states with the exception of Illinois which does not allow concealed carry permits.

Sponsored by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), the bill received the support of several moderate Democrats in addition to a majority of House Republicans.

The bill's backers argued that the bill would reduce the current confusion resulting from different states having different concealed permit laws and allow gun owners to travel across state lines without worrying about breaking the law in those states.

"We need to have a uniform standard so that gun owners know that they're not in legal jeopardy when they're abiding by the law when they travel among states," said Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.).

However, opponents argued that many states currently have reciprocity agreements with other states, and deemed the legislation both unnecessary and an encroachment on states' rights.

Some liberal gun-control advocates also argued that the law would lead to a relaxing of standards across the country as states that require stricter background checks would be forced to accept lower standards.

"Because any permit would suffice, this bill would create a race to the bottom, with whatever state has the most permissive concealed carry rules setting national policy," Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in opposition to the measure.

Others said that was not an issue.

"It's kind of like having a driver's license," Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said. "There are some states that have stricter driving laws than others."

The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate and the White House has yet to weigh in on the issue.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/po ... x-11172011

Editorial: Gun reciprocity shoots holes in states' rights

Updated 3d 17h ago Comments 118

Different states have different rules for carrying concealed handguns, and for good reason. Rules that make sense in largely rural Western states such as Montana or Wyoming can make much less sense in more urban states such as New York and New Jersey, where legislators have made it harder to get a carry permit than it is out West.

This seems perfectly logical. But to the National Rifle Association, these differing state regulations represent a "nightmare" for interstate travelers. And thanks to the gun lobby's political clout, the House is poised to vote today on a dangerous measure that would require all states to accept each other's carry permits, no questions asked.

If the NRA gets its way, states with stricter laws would have to bow to those with the loosest regulations, even if a visitor didn't meet the stricter state's minimum requirements for age, history of mental illness, criminal record, training and so on. For example, Nevada and New Mexico— which have quit honoring carry permits from Utah, where concealed carry permits are relatively easy to get, even by mail order — would be forced to start accepting Utah permits.

So much for states' rights.

The irony here is that politicians who usually howl about the arrogance of one-size-fits-all federal laws are abandoning those principles just because the subject is guns. Imagine the same law, but instead of guns, every state would have to honor any other state's law on same-sex marriage. A gay marriage in Massachusetts would have to be recognized in Arizona. Think the Republican-led House would be clamoring to put that bill on the floor?

Backers of the reciprocity measure liken carry permits to driver's licenses, which are honored nationwide no matter where they're issued. But unlike the right to own a gun or carry it concealed, driving is regulated in relatively uniform fashion. Drivers have to pass written exams and road tests and abide by traffic laws. A driver's license can be suspended or revoked by authorities for bad behavior. Something tells us that supporters of this bill wouldn't want the same strict regulations and frequent police supervision for gun owners.

Proponents of concealed carry reciprocity also like to cite the Supreme Court decision that overturned Washington, D.C.'s ban on handgun ownership, claiming the court also asserted a right to carry weapons. Actually, the court said almost exactly the opposite. Backers of the reciprocity measure should read the opinion: "Like most rights, the Second Amendment is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose. For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment."

The court likewise upheld the right of state and local governments to set reasonable restrictions on guns that do not undo the basic right to own a weapon, and that's precisely what's at stake here. It would be a dramatic overreach for Congress to strip states of their authority to set those reasonable rules.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/ed ... 51204146/1

Rep. Trent Franks: Pass National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity

By Trent Franks

The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act would enable millions of American permit holders to carry their licensed weapon in any of the 49 states that already permit concealed carry.

The law simplifies the national patchwork of concealed carry laws. Much like driver's licenses — a state-issued form of identification that is recognized and accepted no matter what state an American citizen might happen to visit — the state permits would become recognized and accepted in 49 states. (Every state, except Illinois, currently has a concealed carry law).

The policy choices of Illinois (and Washington, D.C.) are respected and not impacted by this law. It is consistent with the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, which made clear that the right to bear arms is a fundamental, individual right. Put simply, the government has very little legal ability to restrict this right, without a compelling government interest.

Opponents claim the legislation would create a national gun registry and would be unenforceable, with states unable to accurately determine the validity of out-of-state gun permits. This argument, however, is false on both counts. The legislation makes no changes that would consolidate gun owners' information, and the "Nlets" system (formerly known as the National Law Enforcement Teletype System) already allows federal, state and local governments to query out-of-state gun permit information, even for states that otherwise do not participate in Nlets.

The Reciprocity Act is common-sense legislation that is good for all gun owners and the citizenry they protect. Based on data from the FBI's Annual Uniform Crime Report, "right-to-carry" states (i.e., those that widely allow concealed carry) have 22% lower total violent crime rates, 30% lower murder rates, 46% lower robbery rates, and 12% lower aggravated assault rates compared with the rest of the country.

Congress has a duty to protect the citizenry, and this measure will do just that, despite the misguided attempts by the anti-gun lobby to derail it.

Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., is an author of the concealed carry reciprocity bill.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/st ... 51204004/1