MSM: “Get Ready for Concealed Guns in All 50 States”

While it may sometimes look as though the Leftists are still in control of the narrative, what with all the negative press and headlines to which we are constantly exposed on an hourly basis about Donald Trump and Republicans in general, a very different picture is in fact forming in the United States and is somehow, little by little, catching fire in European circles as well.

This week, the House Judiciary Committee took a very bold step forward with asserting that the Conceal Carry Reciprocity bill that has been haunting the House of Representatives for months can now enter the floor of the chamber for a full vote.  That’s excellent news for the NRA, Republican voters, and gun owners alike.  However, it is equally great for the president who had made a strong focus for his administration on the protection of the Second Amendment and national security.

The vote in the Judiciary Committee broke down to a 19-11 count and is now ready to move forward on the word of the Speaker.  Ryan has been hemming and hawing since January about this particular bill, but has seen fit more recently to be more proactive in this arena since it appears that the mood of the country is moving decidedly more Right with every day that goes by; something that neither Ryan nor McConnell were betting would occur.

The National Rifle Association has called the concealed carry bill, which would make it easier for gun owners to keep their firearms hidden when crossing state lines, its “highest legislative priority in Congress.” Despite concerns raised by Democrats about states’ rights and domestic violence, the Republican-controlled Congress has pushed the proposal one step closer to becoming law.

The House Judiciary Committee late Wednesday voted 19-11 for the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, which would amend the federal criminal code to allow the concealed transport of handguns across state lines, so long as both states allow it. States will not be able to impose their individual requirements for a concealed carry license on armed travelers from other states.

Republicans rejected Democratic amendments that would ban violent offenders from qualifying under the law, as well as a change that would have prevented forum shopping, which means a New York resident barred from obtaining a concealed carry permit could instead send away for one from somewhere else. The bill, which has more than 200 co-sponsors, almost all Republicans, now heads for the floor of the 435-member House. A similar bill, with 38 Republican co-sponsors, is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“This would end abuses in anti-gun states like New York and New Jersey and allow law-abiding concealed carriers to exercise their rights nationwide with peace of mind,” the NRA website states. “[The bill] would not, as some critics claim, affect how states issue their own concealed carry permits.” 

U.S. Representative Richard Hudson, the North Carolina Republican who introduced the legislation, called the bill “welcome progress” in efforts to expand and protect access to firearms.

The legislation allows firearm owners with a concealed carry permit issued by their home state to carry the firearm into any other state (all allow some form of concealed carry, although many are highly restrictive). The gun owners wouldn’t have to reveal they are carrying a weapon, though the bill does require they be eligible to possess a firearm under federal law (which requires a background check), carry a valid photo identification and a concealed carry permit. Gun owners from states that don’t require a concealed carry permit will need to obtain some credential from their home state to take advantage of the new law’s provisions. What form that would take isn’t specified in the House bill.

Moms Demand Action, a gun control group that attended Wednesday’s hearing, has also attacked the bill, arguing it “is a chaotic and dangerous policy that would gut every state’s gun laws and make our communities less safe.”

This bill will pass the House and will obviously have a tougher time in the Senate, but the point here is that there is finally some movement in a positive direction as the Party of No continues to try to stonewall everything this administration attempts to accomplish with no argument of substance other than “Well, we just don’t like it!”

As you can see, groups like Moms Demand Action believe (although not sincerely) that somehow the fact that law-abiding citizens who legally own weapons make out communities less safe?  That’s a really tough argument to make, considering that nearly 100% of the gun crimes committed in the United States are being committed by non-legal gun owners.  But, hey, who’s counting, right?

Source:  Bloomberg