The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 38, recently amended to be the “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.“ Voting for and passing the bill in the House, and then in the Senate, is a smart political move for Republicans. Democrats oppose the bill for partisan ideological purposes. Opposing an armed population is in Democrats (Progressives) DNA. That opposition never made any political sense.
Every state in the US has laws that allow for the issuance of permits for the carry of concealed weapons. It’s in the interest of people in those states who have concealed weapons permits for those permits to be valid in the rest of the United States.
People who can legally carry concealed weapons have been found to be exceptionally law-abiding. Evidence exists that the carry of concealed weapons decreases the violent crime rate a small amount. At the worst, the evidence shows the crime rate is not increased.
The leadership of the Democrats comes from states that have resisted the restoration of Second Amendment rights with all the power and tools at their disposal. Those states are Deep Blue California, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and Rhode Island. Senators there do not face significant Republican opposition.
If the Republicans in the House pass Concealed Carry Reciprocity, which is likely, the pressure will mount in the Senate to pass the bill. The Senate has a small majority of Republicans, 52 to 48.
Every Republican Senator comes from a state that has either a Shall issue law, where every person that may legally purchase a handgun from a federal dealer can obtain a permit to carry one concealed, or Constitutional Carry, where the same large majority of people do not need a permit to carry concealed. 18 Republican senators are from Constitutional Carry states, 34 are from Shall Issue states. Of Democrat Senators, 16 are from restrictive May Issue states, 24 are from Shall Issue states, and 6 are from Constitutional Carry states.
It will be a difficult trick for Senators from Shall Issue and Constitutional Carry states to explain why they voted to prevent their constituents from exercising their Second Amendment rights in other states.
Eight Democrat senators will be running in states that President Trump won in 2016. Six of those states have Shall Issue concealed carry permits. Two of them have Constitutional Carry. Wisconsin has Shall Issue and a Constitutional Carry bill that is being considered in the state legislature.
Concealed Carry reciprocity is a wedge issue that makes those Democrat senator’s seats more precarious.
Here are the Democrat senators that are most at risk in 2018, and the circumstance of concealed (discreet) carry law in their state:
Shall issue: Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin
Shall issue : Florida, Bill Nelson
Shall issue: Montana, Jon Tester.
Shall issue: North Dakota, Heidi Heitkamp
Shall issue: Ohio, Sherrod Brown
Shall Issue: Indiana, Joe Donnelly
Constitutional Carry: West Virginia, Joe Manchin
Constitutional Carry: Missouri, Claire McCaskill
The Republicans need to show significant differences from their Democrat opponents.
Donald Trump ran on national reciprocity for concealed carry. This issue can energize Second Amendment supporters to vote for the Republican, or at least, vote against a Senator that voted against exercising of the Second Amendment.
It makes sense for the Republicans to force a vote on the bill. It would make sense for the eight Democrat senators above to vote with the Republicans and pass the bill, to aid in their re-election.
That does not mean they will. Infringing on the Second Amendment has become part of modern Democrats’ DNA.
©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30-year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
You keep forgetting that McCain, Collin and Murkowski are democrats in disguise. The bill will not pass the Senate as they will vote against it. McCain doesn’t care about rights or political pressure so he’s a given NO. Collins will vote against it because and so will Mukowski. Mark my words.
You keep forgetting that McCain, Collin and Murkowski are democrats in disguise. The bill will not pass the Senate as they will vote against it. McCain doesn’t care about rights or political pressure so he’s a given NO. Collins will vote against it because and so will Mukowski. Mark my words.
Jeff Flake, too. That guy DONATED to the Democrat running against Moore in Alabama and Tweeted a photo of the cheque. I can understand not wanting to support Moore, but supporting a Marxist Democrat instead?
And he wonders why he was polling so low among his own constituents…what a turd.
It means he realizes that there’s more than one Amendment. Moore can no more be trusted with 1A or rule of law than an alleged Marxist can be with 2A.
True Marxists are pro-gun.
@Rook — “True Marxists,” whatever that’s supposed to mean, are actually anti-civil rights and thus, automatically by extension, anti-gun.
What disguise?
I will mark your words.
McCain, Murkowski, and Flake are all CO-SPONSORS of Cornyn’s “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017”.
I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Senators who sponsor a bill, will vote FOR the bill.
Here’s a list of co-sponsors as of the introduction of the bill last February:
Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Mr. Enzi, Mrs. Ernst, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Heller, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Isakson, Mr. McCain, Mr. Moran, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Portman, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Thune, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Young, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Flake) introduced the following bill;
EDIT: the list of co-sponsors has grown since it was introduced. There were initially 30, there are now 39 co-sponsors. All Republicans, no democrats co-sponsored it.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/446/cosponsors
Sponsoring the bill costs them nothing. In the end, if they actually vote for it and it passes I will gladly eat the entire crow. I sincerely hope that I am wrong but…..I’m not.
Having defeated Bloombergs background check bill in 2016 those of us up here in Maine will be letting Collins know we want this. King is an Independant in name only. He votes Dem but with so many of us pro 2A he might be squirming on this one. Hopefully GOME (Gun Owners of Maine) and SAM (Sportsmans Alliance Maine) wll receive some help from the same party that helped defeat Bloomberg.
Bottom line is Collins is from up in the county, which is part of the 2nd District. Proudly sending a delegate for Trump in 2016. We won’t forget if Collins doesn’t go with this.
“We won’t forget it…..”. That’s nice but in the end we will still not have reciprocity. When she is up for re-election she will go out of her way to weasel word and obscure her deciding vote. I sincerely hope that I am wrong but I have no faith in these weasels.
If you live in a blue state, (even if you don’t think this bill will pass) you still have to apply pressure to your elected officials and try to scare them into voting for the bill. When election time comes we can’t keep the officials in office if they won’t do what the people want. That’s one of the big problems we have now, elected officials do what they want ( or whoever is writing the checks) & we forget then support them come election time. I really hope this bill passes even though I do live in a red state with basically con. Carry(MS).
Especially if you live in a blue state.
I would prefer HPA over Natl Reciprocity, but I’ll take what we can get.
The wailing and gnashing of progressive teeth will be delightful to behold.
I’ll take both, thanks.
Baby steps and all that… still a lot of really misinformed or just plain wrong people out there who see no difference between a legal, licensed gun carrier and a common thug – to their eyes, we are all equally dangerous. It is that perception that must be debunked in the minds of a large majority, not just half, of the non-gun owning public. When not just the owning, but also the carrying, of guns is seen as not just normal but beneficial to most folks – the gun bigot leaders will then be looking for work focusing on some other issue. 🤠
Forget HPA, SHARE is where it’s at. (It has HPA and a ton of other great/good things). Seriously, if we got the SHARE, SAGA, and the reciprocity Acts in the House, the only big issues left for us to win on would be the rest of the NFA.
All we can hope for is that the Senate Bill strips out the NICs improvement act.
Unlikely. ‘Background checks’ are popular with the uninformed.
The good news is that SAF and/or the NRA will probably challenge the problematic clauses on due-process grounds, and they’ve got a good shot at winning. Especially if Trump keeps getting judges confirmed.
Thanks for killing the filibuster of judicial nominees, Harry!
Yea they said the same thing about the Hughes Amendment. Saying they would go to court to challenge it but nothing happened with that and they are back to messing with “bumpfire” stocks again.
Not holding my breath.
We must do everything we can to support National Reciprocity.
Contact these Senators NOW. Leave a message, send and e-mail, use the NRA-ILA site for a pre-formatted text, Urge them all to support National Reciprocity.
Our legislators count these messages to help them stay in office – and that will strongly influence the way they vote. Please contact them now…
“Shall issue: Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin”
Baldwin is gone in 2018, she was a social experiment that failed miserably, not only has she NOT represented the people of WI consistently, she jumped on the party train from the moment she took office…
Nelson in Florida is currently *not* looking good in the polls.
He is vulnerable.
*Pressure* him…
Will the Senate require a cloture vote to stop a filibuster? I don’t see how they could ever get 60. I have not seen any reporting on this question.
I have seen it written that this bill will need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.
We are in unknown waters, politically. The filibuster is dead for appointments, and for votes on taxes. The way to bet is that 60 votes are required. But the Senate can change their rules with a simple 50+1 vote anytime they wish, as I understand it.
As I “understand” it, they can’t. The rules are somewhat byzantine. Additionally, the parliamentarian can say the rules are whatever he wants them to be and Pence is the only one who can say otherwise. That’s my understanding, but like I said, byzantine.
the senate can change their rules whenever they want, they make the rules not the parliamentarian. They will not change the rules for this or any other bill though, neither side wants to have a simple majority like the house.
From wikipedia:
U.S. Senate Rule XXII can be difficult. Paragraph 2 of said rule states that “to amend the Senate rules…the necessary affirmative vote shall be two-thirds of the Senators present and voting.” This means 67 senators if all 100 senators are “present and voting”, but only 34 senators if under Rule VI, the minimum quorum of 51 senators, i.e., “a majority of the Senators duly chosen and sworn” is “present and voting.”
Say what? That was the gist of the entire article, how the Senate could reach 60 votes. Did you *read* it?
Why are you using a 2016 map? NH went Constitutional Carry in 2017.
So did Missouri.
As a resident of NH, a state with constitutional carry, I very much want this bill to pass the senate, so I can freely travel in Massachusetts and Rhode Island but my senators are both Democrats, and both have demonstrated their anti-gun behavior, I fear that even this “NICS Fix” attachment may not be enough to sway them despite the scientific studies that show Concealed Carry permit holders are less likely to commit a crime than your average citizen and even less likely than a police officer.
The vast majority of concealed carry permit holders are model citizens. I shouldn’t be compared to a garden variety thug, who is really who should be feared.
If the bill as it was passed in the House comes up for a vote (i.e., with Fix NICS as part of it), slam them demanding they pass Fix NICS even if it would mean passing reciprocity.
Those maps are misleading when it comes to actual state voting precincts.
Here’s the Electoral Map on the day of/after the election:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/11/report-donald-trump-to-hang-portrait-of-electoral-college-landslide-in-white-house/
There is a 0.000% chance that either of my state senators will vote for this bill. Both DieFi(ghting for gun bans) and “Cameltoe” Harris are intransigently anti-gun. Our current CA.AG, Beccerra, has, I think, been authorized to lobby against the bill, along with a number of other state AGs.
Taking out the “Fix NICS” will make it much clearer who is against or for the human right to bear arms.
Taking out the “NICS” will show which of our representatives are intellectually honest and have long realized that the FBI background check is an HONOR SYSTEM upheld by only the honorable, and essentially can rubber stamp AS APPROVED, a whole army of crazies, if those ‘approved-honorable’ people immediately then choose to go off of the rails.
HOW MANY UNKNOWN CRAZIES HAS THE NICS CHECK APPROVED ??? stfu, nobody can answer that.
I am not a real big Conspiracy Theorist but i thought it was very suspicious that the New Mexico Shooting today was in a state that both Senators are Republican? Not that republican means anything anymore. But i am sure the fickle people who vote republican will not allow another term for the senators if they vote yes on this HR 38.
Our Thought and Prayers for the families of the 2 dead thus far.
“ConcernedAmerican says:
“I am not a real big Conspiracy Theorist . . . ”
You’re not really a Concerned American, you don’t give a rat’s a_ _ whether the “two Republicans” get re-elected, cause you ain’t one. Don’t worry about them. Most Republicans are Conservative, logical, and think for themselves, they wouldn’t blame something LIKELY DONE BY ANOTHER FING CRAZED POS (D) LIB on them. Especially since the elections are a little ways off.
Why don’t you call your local (D) rep and ask if they’ve ever tried strangubation and tell them to lean into it.
You Bet i ain’t a republican!!!!!! and Thankful i ain’t!! That would be totally embarrassing! i actually want to take back this Nation from a bunch of Cowards whatever flag they hid themselves under!! Not give them more Power to destroy more!
But you seem to be a very offended republican! and that is your problem all you threw at me was a bunch of foolish rhetoric! no wonder you republicans are in such a bad position!
Oh and by Concerned American, if your Concerned About something you would want Change of the course your are on! not a bunch of the same Cowardly (D) or (R) who just rub elbow’s as they go the same Genocidal direction!
I take it back.
You’re not even from here.
Your on a Foolish Rhetoric Streak!!! Keep going your digging your own grave!!!
Are you telling me the NM shooter had a CC license? Was from out of state? And was prevented from committing these murders by lack of reciprocity?
Yes! If it weren’t for this bill they would all still be alive! Who cares if it hasn’t passed yet!
Odvious humor is odvious!
The evil POS (D) are a FING SCOURGE, and it doesn’t matter where you find them.
Here’s a lying sack for ya: “All military personnel, including troops in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, would go without pay in the event of a government shutdown due to the perennial failure of Congress to enact a budget on time, the Pentagon’s comptroller said Thursday.
“No one gets paid” stateside and in war zones under a shutdown, Comptroller David Norquist said at a Pentagon news conference. “Payment will not be made until the shutdown is over.” https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/12/07/if-government-shuts-down-no-one-gets-paid-dod-comptroller-says.html
That is NEVER THE CASE DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN. (D)1< K NEEDS TO FING GO, AND THE PENTAGON (ESPECIALLY) NEEDS TO GET SIMILAR STUPID BASTARDS ROOTED OUT.
We don’t need a special law for reciprocity, Article IV, Section 1 of the United States Constitution already enables that…
“Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State.”
FF&C does not apply to licenses and never has. If it did, my license to practice law would have been good in every state. I assure you that it was not.
Just contacted both my Senators; they are both Dems. I’m in WA: blue state with shall issue concealed carry license and wide reciprocity. National reciprocity is literally a good-only (aka win-win) for a state like WA: with wide reciprocity and shall issue (even for out of staters) CPL, there’s absolutely no down side whatsoever. Not only that, but the big blue D Senators can tout the “Fix NICS” aspect to keep up thier “we hate guns” street cred, so it isn’t even that bad for them. Seriously, pragmatically, the only Senators that should vote against this are the ones from States where they simply don’t allow anyone (or nearly anyone) to carry; think Hawaii, maybe California and NEw York (since they are politically dominated by areas that are thus), and such.
It’s not going to pass the Senate, nor will the HPA. Because significant pro gun legislation and Republicans don’t mix.
But yes, it is politically mysterious from a certain point of view. Democrats would reign supreme if they 1) Didn’t consider “the rich” to be people who make $30-$300k a year and have a pot to pee in. 2) Didn’t insist on the “right” to murder babies, and 3) Didn’t insist on criminalizing the peaceful ownership, use, and carrying of guns.
3 is the most bizarre because very few people are passionately pro “gun control”. The only pathetic use of it is for inner city politicians to blame black on black crime on “easy access” in other states. Almost all Democrat voters don’t care, except after a well publicized shooting.
I will contact my 2 Florida Senators and urge them to vote for this bill
I care a lot more about suppressors than reciprocity
I will take whatever we can get in terms of firearms freedom
Nice for us to be on the offense for a change!
I can guarantee that you that Sherrod Brown will vote to castrate himself before he votes for a pro-gun bill.
I’m going to have to reread the Constitution, something about being armed can’t be infringed? I dunno.
If this has been noted by someone else my apologies.
Point of fact: North Dakota is a constitutional carry state, yeah we still have shall issue permits for reciprocal agreements but don’t need them in State.