Blog 2/16/23

Weekly Spotlight 2/18 – 2/24/23


Gun Control Groups Mislead on Concealed Carry Reciprocity

It’s become all too common in gun control circles to ignore basic facts about firearms and concealed carry laws in order to obstruct policies that will actually empower law-abiding Americans to defend themselves.  

These groups have sought to chip away at the Second Amendment.  While they advocate for numerous new gun control laws that would serve only to punish responsible gun owners, they mislead and obfuscate the facts about effective and forward-thinking policies like national concealed carry reciprocity (NCCR). 

The groups seek to dispel “myths” about NCCR, but they ignore basic facts about firearm purchases, the permitting process, and how the law would be enforced. 

Gun control groups do not understand how concealed carry reciprocity would work.  They claim that NCCR would “force all states to recognize the weakest gun laws in the country” and require them to allow “people with dangerous criminal histories to carry concealed handguns.”  This is an utter falsehood.  NCCR specifically means that an individual who is able to carry a concealed firearm in one state may carry or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms

The groups also mislead their audiences when they say that NCCR would allow those “who may have never been screened by a background check” to carry concealed firearms anywhere.  This claim ignores the fact that all gun owners already undergo federal background checks when they purchase a gun.  But that doesn’t fit their narrative, so they opt for deception instead.  This all serves their ultimate goal, which is to ban all law-abiding Americans from owning guns to defend themselves and their families.

It’s worth noting that a 2016 Bureau of Justice Statistics report found that “criminals convicted of using a firearm during their crime obtained it through illicit means 90 percent of the time.”  And yet, gun control groups think NCCR will empower violent felons despite the fact that criminals, by definition, don’t follow gun control laws.  

In reality, NCCR will equip more law-abiding Americans to protect themselves, their families, and their community by ensuring their rights do not stop at certain state borders.  Do you agree?  Make your voice heard by following the link below. 

Tell your representative to pass H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act!

OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

A gunman who killed three and wounded five others at Michigan State University on Monday would have been barred from owning a firearm at the time of the shooting had he not had felony gun charges dismissed by a progressive prosecutor. Anthony McRae was charged in June 2019 with illegally carrying a concealed handgun without a permit, but later had those charges dismissed by the office of Ingham County district attorney Carol Siemon (D.). Her office instead let McRae plead guilty to a lesser misdemeanor gun charge, and he served a little more than a year on probation, which ended May 2021. He initially faced up to five years in prison for the felony charge, the Detroit News reported.

The Oregon Supreme Court denied a request by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to allow Measure 114 to go into effect in a ruling on Thursday. The decision means legal challenges to the gun-control measure will move forward and all parts of the law will remain paused. In a press release Thursday, the state’s high court acknowledged the controversial nature of the measure, which has remained in legal limbo since voters narrowly approved it in November. Measure 114 would require purchasers to take a safety course, pass a background check and obtain a permit before obtaining a firearm. It would also ban magazines or ammunition feeders that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

At age 18, you’re allowed to vote and serve in the military. But should you be allowed to possess a firearm out in public, without a permit? Tennessee Republicans are considering a slate of legislation that would do just that.  “Anytime we can expand civil rights in this chamber or in this state, that’s a good day for Tennessee,” said Rep. William Lamberth, the Republican House Majority Leader.  “So what I think will come out of the house is a true constitutional carry bill that goes to 18 that does include changing handguns to firearms,” said Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton.

As California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, promoted a new bill restricting who can carry a concealed firearm in his state, he said Florida was moving in the “exact opposite direction.” … Does HB 543 remove gun background checks, instruction, training and oversight, as Newsom claimed?  Because getting a license becomes voluntary under the bill, those requirements would no longer be needed to carry a gun in Florida. But the concealed carry license would remain for those who want it, and background checks on gun purchases from federal dealers would remain in effect.