On Wednesday, 42 GOP senators introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow individuals with concealed carry rights in their home state to exercise those same rights in any other state that allows concealed carry while still abiding by that state’s laws.
 The bill also protects state sovereignty by not establishing a national standard for concealed carry.
The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/214/text">bill</a> states:
<blockquote>
An individual who is not prohibited by Federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid license or permit which is issued pursuant to the law of a State and which permits the individual to carry a concealed firearm, may possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun or destructive device) that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce in any State other than the State of residence of the individual that has a statute that allows residents of the State to obtain licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms; or does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms by residents of the State for lawful purposes.
</blockquote>
“This legislation would reduce unnecessary burdens for law-abiding citizens and allow them to carry a concealed firearm in every state that permits it and I’m grateful for the overwhelming support from my fellow Republican colleagues on this commonsense bill,” Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said.
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“This commonsense legislation ensures that law-abiding citizens can exercise their constitutional right to carry concealed firearms across state lines while respecting the laws of each state,” North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis stated. “This legislation is a critical step in protecting the right of self-defense for Americans, no matter where they travel.”
Last week, the House of Representatives introduced a companion bill, H.R. 38. The Crime Prevention Research Center states that nearly 22 million Americans hold concealed carry permits.
President-elect Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.cbs19news.com/concealed-carry-reciprocity-backed-by-trump-in-u-s-house-proposal/article_762fa78c-c0fb-5599-a411-308f8a04d8ed.html">promised</a> to sign the bill if it reaches his desk. The National Rifle Association (NRA), the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and Gun Owners of America (GOA) have endorsed the legislation.

Woman Carrying Handgun

GOP Senate Introduces Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act

Congress

Gun Rights

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U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

There is no such thing as a free nation where the police and military are allowed to keep and bear arms and citizens are not. Our Founding Fathers understood this and enshrined the basic right to self-defense in the U.S. Constitution. The Second Amendment guarantees the absolute ability to live in peace without fear.
The U.S. Supreme Court has, time and again, reaffirmed that right. Yet elected Democrats and other stakeholders continue their all-out assault on this freedom with the ultimate goal of denying law-abiding Americans the opportunity to purchase and carry guns.
That’s why, in 2022, I became concerned when Visa and Mastercard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/visa-to-categorize-sales-at-gun-stores-in-win-for-gun-control-advocates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> they would separately categorize and track purchases for guns and ammunition. This move followed the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an international standards organization based out of Europe, approving an application for a firearm-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC). This move would set a dangerous precedent targeting legal gun owners, the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vast majority</a> of whom are Republicans or independents who lean Right.
A specific MCC for gun purchases would subject Americans attempting to exercise their constitutional rights to unnecessary and unethical surveillance. If rolled out, a national gun registry would be closer than ever, even though it is <a href="https://www.nraila.org/get-the-facts/registration-licensing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibited</a> by federal law. The Left, however, does not care about the rule of law and they certainly aren’t hiding their desire to take away your freedoms. An elected Democrat recently <a href="https://vinnews.com/2024/07/09/rep-bonnie-watson-coleman-advocates-for-national-gun-registry-during-atf-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> a federal gun registry a “wonderful idea.”
A gun-specific MCC is a clear threat to the privacy and Second Amendment rights of all Americans. Not only does it present an easy opportunity for liberal institutions to de-bank firearms sellers, which is abruptly closing financial accounts for religious and political reasons, but it could also discourage Americans from exercising their Constitutionally-protected rights. Importantly, the MCC would do absolutely nothing to improve public safety.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-than-100-house-republicans-demand-answers-from-credit-card-giants-categorizing-sales-at-gun-stores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">application</a> for a gun- and ammo-specific MCC came from Amalgamated Bank in 2022, a <a href="https://amalgamatedbank.com/who-we-are" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blatantly Left-wing</a> company that dubs itself America’s “socially responsible bank” and proudly says deposited money supports “sustainable organizations, progressive causes, and social justice.” Upon further examination, it’s clear the organization is closely connected to the Democrat Party. The New York Times in 2015 even <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/07/how-amalgamated-bank-became-the-the-lefts-private-banker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> it “the left’s private banker.”
Clients of the union-owned bank <a href="https://amalgamatedbank.com/political-organizations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include</a> President Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi. Additional past and present clients <a href="https://amalgamatedbank.com/clients" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include</a> the Democratic Governors Association, the Biden Foundation, the Democratic National Committee, and Ready for Hillary 2016. Not exactly ardent defenders of the Second Amendment.
Amalgamated has also explicitly <a href="https://amalgamatedbank.com/anti-violence-and-gun-safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called for</a> unconstitutional red-flag laws and says it discriminates against gun, nuclear weapon and ammunition manufacturers and distributors. Radical private organizations like this and the ISO should be nowhere near our Second Amendment.
At the time of the approval, Amalgamated Chief Executive Priscilla Sims Brown <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/10/business/gun-stores-merchant-code-visa-american-express-mastercard/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the move “answers the call of millions of Americans who want safety from gun violence.” Does this call supersede the constitutional right to keep and bear arms? As a state representative serving the people of Northwest Tennessee, I can tell you my constituents would say that coastal elites and liberal corporations better stay far away from their guns and finances.
That’s why I set out to ensure this gun tracking scheme would never happen in the Volunteer State. This year, I sponsored the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, which was passed by the General Assembly and went into effect July 1. This new law will prohibit financial institutions from requiring retailers to use a specific MCC for firearms sellers in Tennessee.
Law-abiding Americans deserve to make these purchases without fear of liberal corporations and an overbearing federal government coordinating to spy on them. I was proud to provide that peace of mind to Tennesseans with the passage of this new law.
Just before the new law took effect, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti warned that Visa, Mastercard and American Express were potentially gearing up to ignore it.
“Specifically, I am concerned that your compliance efforts are not sufficient and will allow you and other financial institutions to continue to utilize impermissible codes in violation of Tennessee law,” he <a href="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2024/pr24-53-letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a June letter to the chief executives of each company.
No credit card company should be able to cancel the votes of millions of Tennesseans by disobeying our policies.
We’ve already seen the Orwellian-like behavior from the Biden Administration and the private companies all too willing to hand over sensitive information. Earlier this year, the House Judiciary Committee <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/alarming-surveillance-feds-asked-banks-search-private-transactions-terms-maga" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> federal investigators had asked financial institutions to search customer transactions for various MCCs, stores and phrases, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, Dicks Sporting Goods, and MAGA.
The goal? Rooting out alleged “extremism” following the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
If the federal government and private companies are already using banking information to target conservatives, ask yourself why they might want a separate MCC for firearms and ammunition sellers. It’s clear that in attempting to force these codes on Americans, they are also attempting to reshape what the Second Amendment means in our country.
Americans are tired of these people and groups pushing an agenda contrary to our founding ideals. I’m proud Tennessee has taken a stand against the ever-increasing leftist corporate-government alliance meant to intimidate and silence Christians and conservatives. It’s time every state stands with us.
* * *
Rusty Grills represents District 77 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He is chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Biden Administration Cracks Down On Gun Dealers For Violations

Financial Surveillance: Why We Have To Prevent Liberal Organizations From Subverting The Second Amendment

Banking

finance

Gun Sales

Guns

Opinion

Readers Pass

Second Amendment

Tennessee

In April 2023, after former President Donald Trump was indicted in New York, his concealed carry license was suspended. Now the New York City Police Department is reportedly preparing to revoke it entirely.
According to a senior NYPD official, Trump relinquished two pistols he was licensed to carry on March 31, 2023, but another gun listed on Trump’s license “was lawfully moved to Florida,” CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/05/politics/trump-gun-nypd-revoke/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The official said an investigation by the NYPD’s Legal Bureau “will likely lead to revocation of his license,” although Trump could challenge such a decision in a hearing.
Because Trump was convicted of 34 felonies at his Manhattan trial, it is a federal crime for him to possess a firearm.
Trump has had a license from the NYPD to carry a concealed firearm for more than a decade, law enforcement sources told CNN.
The verdict in Trump’s trial has been harshly criticized. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) stated:
<blockquote>
&#8220;I disagree with the jury&#8217;s verdict here. A jury can only act within the constraints that a judge puts on it, and this case was rigged from the very beginning. You had Alvin Bragg, who campaigned on getting Donald Trump. You had the judge, who&#8217;s a literal Biden donor, and at every turn he ruled in favor of the prosecution. &#8230; He never even insisted the prosecution reveal the alleged underlying crime for which Donald Trump supposedly covered up in – in bookkeeping entries. At every turn the judge put his finger on the scales, practically forcing the jury to find – to reach this outcome. &#8230; there’s no question Donald Trump should win on appeal.&#8221;
</blockquote>
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Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr stated, “I said from the very start that this was an abomination. And I actually was surprised that they went ahead with the case because there really was nothing there. There was no crime there and they never were able to really articulate it until after the defense rested its case. So I thought the whole thing was a travesty.”
“This case is going to be overruled because there are just multiple errors and violations of constitutional rights,” he continued. “This will be eventually overruled after the election.”
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<li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="applewebdata://072EFB88-DA60-4B09-9F4E-C601A2D3EA3F/v">Former U.S. Attorney General Barr: Conviction In Trump Case Likely To Be ‘Overturned,’ ‘There Was No Crime’</a></li>
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Donald Trump Holds Media Op At His Mar-A-Lago Estate

NYPD Preparing To Revoke Trump’s Gun Permit: Report

Donald Trump

General

New York Police Department (NYPD)

The gun trial of first son, Hunter Biden, started Monday, with jury selection. First lady Jill Biden was in attendance, and the Bidens spent the weekend in Wilmington, Delaware in preparation for the trial. 
Hunter <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/02/politics/hunter-biden-trial-preview/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden</a> is charged with illegally purchasing and possessing a firearm while abusing or being addicted to drugs, which violates federal law. He has pleaded not guilty.
Three <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/02/politics/hunter-biden-trial-preview/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women</a> connected to Hunter Biden are scheduled to testify about his drug us related to the time he purchased the firearm: His ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, his late brother’s widow Hallie Biden whom he dated, along with the woman from Arkansas, Lunden Roberts, the mother of one of his children — a granddaughter Joe Biden has previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/our-son-hunter-and-navys-mother-joe-biden-finally-acknowledges-his-seventh-grandchild-in-friday-night-news-dump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to acknowledge. 
Hunter’s words will also come back to haunt him. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-joe-biden-election-gun-drugs-e2cc8b5d459ad80e5bd7b05c5e9105c1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memoir</a> shows he was addicted to drugs at the time of the purchase, as does evidence from the so-called “laptop from hell,” the laptop Hunter reportedly left at a Delaware computer repair shop and never claimed.
<div id="attachment_745675" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-745675" class="size-large wp-image-745675" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155274118-864x576.jpg" alt="Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, left, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden arrive at federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, US, on Monday, June 3, 2024. Jury selection begins Monday in the first of two cases Hunter Biden has tried to avoid for years, both to stay out of prison and spare his father, President Joe Biden, political and personal turmoil as he runs for a second term most likely against Donald Trump. Photographer: Joe Lamberti/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155274118-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155274118-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155274118-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155274118.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Joe Lamberti/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
As the Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-house-democrat-defends-loving-father-biden-says-hunter-has-done-nothing-wrong">reported</a>, President Biden continues to maintain his son’s innocence. While the president is not expected to attend or testify at his son’s trial, he is on record stating, “My son has done nothing wrong.”
And there&#8217;s the rub. 
President Joe Biden detests guns and legal gun owners, but he defends his son, who is charged with violating federal gun laws.
He also lies about gun statistics.
The president has repeatedly claimed that “firearms are the leading cause of death for children.” But according to the fact checkers at the <a href="https://www.nssf.org/articles/the-washington-post-concedes-biden-admin-favorite-gun-control-line-is-a-lie/">Washington Post</a>, not exactly a Right-wing publication, “when all motor vehicle accidents are counted, then motor vehicle deaths continue to exceed firearm deaths for children – as defined as people under age 18.”
The president has also called on <a href="https://www.heritage.org/firearms/heritage-explains/bidens-gun-control-agenda">Congress</a> to pass what he calls “common sense” gun reform, including banning so-called assault weapons (isn’t any weapon used to commit an assault an assault weapon?). 
Biden has also called for required background checks on all gun sales and a ban on high-capacity magazines.
Let’s examine each of these demands.
First, so-called assault weapons are not the gun of choice for criminals.
According to an April 2023 report from <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pew Research Center</a>, 
<blockquote>In 2020, the most recent year for which the FBI has published data, handguns were involved in 59% of the 13,620 U.S. gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters for which data is available. Rifles – the category that includes guns sometimes referred to as “assault weapons” – were involved in 3% of firearm murders.</blockquote>
So Biden wants to ban a class of weapons responsible for approximately 408 deaths versus weapons that were responsible for about 8,035 deaths.
By comparison, about 450 people die each year by falling out of bed. Statistically, the president should therefore be focusing on making beds safer, especially bunk beds and waterbeds, which are clearly the ‘assault weapons’ of beds.
The president also wants to ban so-called high-capacity magazines, which, depending on the definition, is any magazine with a capacity of 10 or more rounds of ammunition. The theory is that the fewer bullets a person has in a magazine, the fewer people he or she can kill without reloading.
Woe to the single mother, living in remote Montana with the nearest police officer 20 miles away, facing three intruders aiming to rape her and kill her children. I think she should have as large a magazine as possible to defend herself and her children.
The last requirement, expanded background checks, is another canard.
Background checks are required for anyone purchasing a firearm from a federally licensed firearm dealer. Background checks are not required for the private transfer of firearms, such as if I decide to legally gift a firearm to my son or sell one to my cousin.
Oh, and Hunter Biden passed his background check, even though he has been charged with falsifying his application.
The last fallacy of Biden’s war against the Second Amendment is that criminals do not, by definition, follow the law. That is what makes them criminals.
From 2017 through 2021, more than 1 million <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1153977949/major-takeaways-from-the-atf-gun-violence-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">firearms</a> were stolen from legal gun owners.
In addition, a 2016 <a href="https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/suficspi16.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> of prison inmates reported that approximately 1 in 5 (21%) of all state and federal prisoners reported possessing or using a firearm when they committed the offense for which they were serving time. Of those prisoners, only 7% purchased the weapon under their own name from a licensed dealer. More than half of prisoners (56%) had stolen the weapon, found it at the scene of a crime, or obtained it off the street or from the underground market.
President inconsistency on guns have come to light, given the trial of his son. I do not condemn the president for wanting to defend his son, any father would. However, his hatred of the Second Amendment and of legal gun owners is now on full display, as is his hypocrisy.
* * *
Jim Nelles is a Navy veteran and supply chain consultant based in Chicago. His articles have appeared in the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Foxnews.com, and the Daily Wire. He has served as a chief procurement officer, chief supply chain officer, and chief operations officer for multiple companies.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN

Biden’s Ongoing War On The Second Amendment

Crime

Gun Laws

Hunter Biden

Joe Biden

A judge in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington</a> ruled that the state’s ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds is unconstitutional, but the state Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal to pause the judge’s decision, meaning the restriction stays in effect for now.
On Monday, Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24536660-state-of-washington-v-gators-custom-guns-inc-ruling-and-orders-23-2-00897-08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> in favor of a Washington gun shop that sued the state after lawmakers banned magazines holding more than 10 rounds in 2022. Bashor rejected the state&#8217;s arguments that the magazines were not suitable for self-defense and that the legislation was common sense. 
“This Court must find there exists no set of facts where the Court can find such a generalized ban or restriction on an am (or an instrument that facilitates self-defense) as constitutional under the Washington Constitution,” Bashor <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24536660-state-of-washington-v-gators-custom-guns-inc-ruling-and-orders-23-2-00897-08">wrote</a> in his 55-page decision. “The United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights exist to define the outer limits of what Legislatures and Courts are allowed to do. Amending the Constitution and Bill of Rights cannot be done simply by enacting a law, or by a pronouncement from a Court.&#8221;
Bashor added that he found that large capacity magazines (LCMS) are classified as arms under the State Constitution and that members of the public commonly owned them for lawful purposes. 
“The State has not provided evidence that LCMs are NOT commonly and lawfully owned or possessed by civilians for lawful purposes, including self-defense. The State: instead chose to provide expert opinions concluding only that LCMs are not commonly ‘fired for self-defense purposes’, or are not the best choice for self-defense, neither of which are relevant metrics,” he wrote. 
Bashor, who has been a judge in the rural county since 2011, also pointed to the Founding Fathers in his decision. 
“There was no appetite to limit gun rights by the Founders. Though the specific technology available today may not have been envisioned, the Founders expected technological advancements,” Bashor wrote. “The result is few, if any, historical analogue laws by which a state can justify a modern firearms regulation.”
After Bashor&#8217;s ruling, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/was-ban-on-high-capacity-gun-magazines-ruled-unconstitutional/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> an emergency appeal before the state’s high court, arguing magazine capacity limits are constitutional. 
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“Every court in Washington and across the country to consider challenges to a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines under the U.S. or Washington Constitution has either rejected that challenge or been overruled. This law is constitutional,” Ferguson said. 
Washington State Supreme Court Commissioner Michael Johnston sided with Ferguson, keeping the law in effect while the appeal continued. 
The magazine restriction was one of the many gun control policies adopted in recent years by Washington’s Democratic-controlled legislature and Democratic Governor Jay Inslee, including a ban on the sale of AR-15s and similar rifles.

State Of Illinois Passes Illinois  Assault Weapons Ban

Judge Says Washington’s Restrictions On Gun Magazine Capacity Are Unconstitutional

Constitution

Courts

Gun Control

U.S.

Washington

A U.S. District judge appointed by former President Barack Obama dismissed gun charges against an illegal immigrant, stating that he should not “be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense.”
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Coleman of the Northern District of Illinois, who had twice <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_20-cr-00613/context">previously denied</a> the illegal immigrant‘s motion to dismiss the case against him, reversed herself in the case against Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, who was found with a handgun in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago in June 2020.
“Carbajal-Flores contends that he received and used the handgun for self-protection and protection of property. Because of Carbajal-Flores’ citizenship status, he was charged in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5), which prohibits any noncitizen who is not legally authorized to be in the United States from &#8216;possess[ing] in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce,'&#8221; Coleman <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_20-cr-00613/pdf/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_20-cr-00613-2.pdf">noted</a>.
“The government argues that Carbajal-Flores is a noncitizen who is unlawfully present in this country,” Coleman continued. “The Court notes, however, that Carbajal-Flores has never been convicted of a felony, a violent crime, or a crime involving the use of a weapon. Even in the present case, Carbajal-Flores contends that he received and used the handgun solely for self-protection and protection of property during a time of documented civil unrest in the Spring of 2020.”
“Additionally, Pretrial Service has confirmed that Carbajal-Flores has consistently adhered to and fulfilled all the stipulated conditions of his release, is gainfully employed, and has no new arrests or outstanding warrants,” she stated. “The Court finds that Carbajal-Flores’ criminal record, containing no improper use of a weapon, as well as the non-violent circumstances of his arrest do not support a finding that he poses a risk to public safety such that he cannot be trusted to use a weapon responsibly and should be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense. Thus, this Court finds that, as applied to Carbajal-Flores, Section 922(g)(5) is unconstitutional.”

Image of gavel for lawyer courtroom on the desk.

Obama-Appointed Judge Dismisses Gun Charges, Says Illegal Immigrant Should Not ‘Be Deprived Of His Second Amendment Right’

Barack Obama

illegal immigrant

Illinois

A bill that would allow any non-felon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/louisiana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louisiana</a> resident to concealed carry a gun without a permit has passed both the state House and Senate and is expected to be signed by Governor Jeff Landry (R-LA). 
The Republican-backed proposal, SB 1, passed the House on Wednesday by a 75-28 vote and the Senate 28-10 last week. If signed, Louisiana would be the 28th state to enact a constitutional carry-style law. 
The Louisiana bill <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1348797">says</a> “that law-abiding persons eighteen years of age and not otherwise prohibited may carry a concealed weapon lawfully without a permit,” removing previous requirements for concealed carry in the state. 
“People are getting raped, murdered, carjacked and assaulted,” <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bill-allowing-permitless-concealed-carry-louisiana-heads-governors-107656008" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Louisiana state Rep. Mike Johnson on Wednesday. “A vote for this bill today gives the citizens of Louisiana the right to defend themselves.”
Republican state Sen. Blake Miguez was the sponsor of the legislation and noted it would take effect on Independence Day if signed. 
“Thank you to the LA House of Representatives for passing<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SB1?src=hashtag_click"> #SB1</a> (Constitutional Carry) without amendments. It will now head to Governor Jeff Landry’s desk for signature with an effective date of July 4th this year, in honor of the our nation’s Independence Day,” he said. 
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Thank you to the LA House of Representatives for passing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SB1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SB1</a> (Constitutional Carry) without amendments. It will now head to Governor Jeff Landry’s desk for signature with an effective date of July 4th this year, in honor of the our nation’s Independence Day. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2A?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2A</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lalege?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lalege</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lagov?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lagov</a>
&mdash; Blake Miguez (@BlakeMiguezLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeMiguezLA/status/1762902046422733024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The proposal was passed after Landry asked the state legislature to pass tougher punishments for crime as well as pass a constitutional carry bill in a special session.
“While criminals carry guns without regard for the law, lawful gun owners are our most law-abiding citizens. Their armed presence helps deter violent crime,” Landry <a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/4425" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “It is time Louisiana join 27 other states who have created a constitutional right to carry a firearm without the government’s permission. This body has repeatedly passed it. Now you have a governor who will sign it.”
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A constitutional carry bill was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/la-state-wire-gun-politics-laws-government-and-politics-e3d0715cb75456ffcb58391bf2850cb4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vetoed</a> in June 2021 by then-Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA) after both the state House and Senate passed the measure overwhelmingly. 
The governor’s office changed hands earlier this year after Landry <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-jeff-landry-elected-louisiana-governor-by-huge-margin-flips-state-red" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> over 50% of the vote in Louisiana’s “jungle primary” in October 2023. Since Landry won over 50% of the vote the race did not go on to the general election. 
Landry ran on getting crime under control and improving the economy and public school system. His campaign website blasted “woke” district attorneys for being soft on crime, and he says that as governor, Louisiana would “hold everyone, and I mean everyone, accountable for violent crime.&#8221;

Todd Settergren of Setterarms gun shop, handles pistols inside his display case on Friday Jan. 13, 2017, in Walnut Creek, Ca. Settergren says California gun laws have gone too far and he welcomes the chance that the federal government under the Trump admi

Louisiana Legislature Sends Constitutional Carry Bill To Republican Governor

Concealed Carry

Louisiana

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wayne-lapierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wayne LaPierre</a>, the longtime CEO of the National Rifle Association, announced his resignation Friday, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wayne-lapierre-announces-resignation-nra-chief" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News.
LaPierre worked for the organization for nearly five decades, joining in 1977, and has served as its executive vice president and CEO since 1991, Fox noted. His resignation will be effective January 31, and NRA President Charles Cotton said that Andrew Arulanandam, head of general operations, will step in as interim CEO.
&#8220;With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,&#8221; LaPierre said in a press release obtained by Fox News. &#8220;I’ve been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.&#8221;
“On behalf of the NRA Board of Directors, I thank Wayne LaPierre for his service,&#8221; Cotton said in the press release. &#8220;Wayne has done as much to protect Second Amendment freedom as anyone. Wayne is a towering figure in the fight for constitutional freedom, but one of his other talents is equally important: he built an organization that is bigger than him.&#8221;
LaPierre, 74, attributed his resignation to concerns about his health.
LaPierre&#8217;s resignation comes as a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against the NRA is set to go to trial next week, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/05/us/wayne-lapierre-nra-resigns/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CNN. The suit alleges that the NRA violated laws concerning non-profits and accuses its leaders of using the non-profit&#8217;s money for personal use. The suit seeks to dissolve the organization.
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“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” James said after she announced the suit in August 2020.
After James filed the suit, then-NRA President Carolyn Meadows <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/06/politics/ny-ag-announcement/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CNN</a> it was a &#8220;baseless premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend. It’s a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda.&#8221;
James has been highly critical of the NRA since before she was attorney general, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/19/nra-lawsuit-ny-ag-letitia-james-past-comments/5606437002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling</a> it a &#8220;criminal enterprise&#8221; and a &#8220;terrorist organization&#8221; during her 2018 campaign for the position.
&#8220;The NRA continues its defense of a lawsuit by the New York Attorney General, and LaPierre is an individual defendant in that action. It is well-known that the NYAG vowed to pursue the NRA when she was candidate for her office and, upon being elected, filed a lawsuit to dissolve the Association in August 2020. Trial proceedings in that case begin Monday,&#8221; the NRA said in its <a href="https://home.nra.org/statements/nra-evp-wayne-lapierre-announces-resignation-from-nra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> announcing LaPierre&#8217;s resignation.

Leading Conservatives Gather For Annual CPAC Event In National Harbor, Maryland

Wayne LaPierre Resigns As NRA CEO

National Rifle Association (NRA)

Social Issues

Wayne LaPierre

Hundreds of bodega workers in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york-city">New York City</a> are applying for concealed-carry gun permits as the city struggles with ongoing violent theft.
The United Bodegas of America, the union representing bodega workers, announced Sunday that it has helped at least 230 bodega owners apply for firearm licenses.
Bodegas, the city&#8217;s small convenience stores, are often located in high-crime neighborhoods, making them a frequent target for criminals, in some cases armed ones.
After the pandemic, the bodega union said it formed a &#8220;secret society of gun owners&#8221; for bodega employees in New York City to obtain concealed-carry licenses. The list of which store owners are armed will remain a secret, the union said.
&#8220;Anyone that&#8217;s out there looking to rob us, hurt us, kill us – beware,&#8221; said union spokesman Fernando Mateo. &#8220;You may be walking into the wrong bodega because now we have the same firepower you have.&#8221;
The union connects store owners with concealed-carry classes required by the state to obtain a permit. Instructors like Johnny Nunez, a retired NYPD sergeant and former New York City police academy instructor, teach the courses.
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The gun ownership movement comes in the wake of several high-profile deadly crimes in bodegas over the last few years.
Back in 2018, a 15-year-old boy <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/lesandro-junior-feliz-guzman-murder-five-sentenced-after-2018-killing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entered</a> a Bronx bodega before he was dragged out and stabbed to death by Trinitarios gang members.
In March, a double shooting at a Bronx bodega left one man dead. Just weeks before that, a deli worker on the Upper East Side was <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/bronx-bodega-shooting-wakefield" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot</a> and killed by an armed robber with a criminal record.
In October, a man <a href="https://brooklyn.news12.com/bodega-workers-call-for-more-safety-measures-in-response-to-mount-hope-fatal-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot</a> another man in the stomach and chased him into a bodega before police arrived. The victim ultimately died.
Bodegas are not the only retail stores packing heat in New York.
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About a quarter of the National Supermarket Association&#8217;s members in the city are now carrying guns as well, compared to only 10% before the pandemic, the group <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/12/02/metro/nyc-bodega-owners-grocers-arming-themselves-with-guns-amid-violent-thefts-plaguing-big-apple/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Robberies, assaults, burglaries, and grand larceny are all up double-digit percentages from two years ago in New York City, although they are down this year from last year, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-city.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NYPD data.
Shootings are down significantly after <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/12/21/why-are-shootings-up-in-new-york-city-in-2020-nypd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spiking</a> in 2020, after which the bodega union began its push for gun licenses.
Retail theft has also risen dramatically. From 2021 to 2022, shoplifting complaints jumped 44%, the mayor&#8217;s office <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/340-23/mayor-adams-plan-combat-retail-theft-new-york-city#/0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this year.
More than 300 repeat offenders committed 30% of last year&#8217;s retail thefts, which totaled more than 22,000 incidents, Mayor Eric Adams (D) said in May when he launched a task force to combat the issue.
The bodega union&#8217;s president, Radhames Rodriguez, 60, owns several bodegas in the Bronx and said he obtained his concealed-carry license two months ago and bought a 9mm Smith &amp; Wesson pistol.
Rodriguez said that in the 1980s, he had a “premises” gun permit, but he let his license lapse as the city became less dangerous in recent decades.
Now, however, “it started looking like in the ‘80s, the ‘90s,” Rodriguez <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/12/02/metro/nyc-bodega-owners-grocers-arming-themselves-with-guns-amid-violent-thefts-plaguing-big-apple/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post. “That’s why I applied, and this is why I have it.”
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Powerball Jackpot Grows To Over 700 Million

Hundreds Of NYC Bodega Workers Applying For Gun Permits Amid Violent Thefts

New York

New York City

After a New Mexico sheriff stated that his office would not enforce a segment of the Democratic governor’s order suspending the right to carry open and concealed guns publicly — echoing the state’s attorney general, who called the move unconstitutional — the governor mocked the sheriff, declaring “It&#8217;s not for police to tell me what&#8217;s constitutional or not.”
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen stated, “In reference to concealed carry and open carry, the Bernalillo County Sheriff&#8217;s Office will not enforce this segment of the order. While I understand the urgency, the temporary ban challenges the foundations of our Constitution. But most importantly, it is unconstitutional.”
Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, interviewed by CNN’s Poppy Harlow, snapped, “It&#8217;s not for police to tell me what&#8217;s constitutional or not. They haven&#8217;t supported one, not one gun violence effort in the State of New Mexico including domestic violence protections, universal background checks.”
“You&#8217;re an attorney,” Harlow noted. “Do you think you&#8217;re on solid constitutional ground here?”
“Well, we&#8217;re going to see,” Grisham declared. “I mean, look, I wouldn&#8217;t do it if I didn&#8217;t think I had the right. I have the right.”
“But where is the right? Where is the right?” Harlow pressed.
“In the State of New Mexico, public — it&#8217;s a suspension. It&#8217;s not a ban. And we&#8217;ll see what all of these court actions do,” Grisham replied.
Then she tried to compare gun rights to abortion: “I got a Supreme Court that says my personal bodily autonomy can be restricted. And yet, NRA and other issues on the Second Amendment keep getting broadened.”
“The Supreme Court last year totally changed what we&#8217;re allowed to do, what you&#8217;re allowed to do,” Harlow stated. “And they say, unless you can base it in the history and tradition, you don&#8217;t have grounds to do something like this. The New Mexico constitution, I looked last night, Article 2, Section 6, says this, ‘No law shall abridge the right of citizens to keep and bear arms for security and defense. No municipality or county shall regulate in any way any incident the right to keep and bear arms.’ Are you not in violation of both the U.S. Constitution and your state&#8217;s constitution?”
“I don&#8217;t believe that we are,” Grisham sniffed. “And if that narrow reading of the constitution, which has been tested in the state, we wouldn&#8217;t have universal background checks, we wouldn&#8217;t have a waiting period, we wouldn&#8217;t have a red flag law, we wouldn&#8217;t have prohibitions for straw purchases. None of those would have been deemed constitutional. And today all of them are.”
“They were before the Supreme Court ruled that,” Harlow pointed out.
“But they haven&#8217;t been tested again,” Grisham argued.
“Are you going to keep doing this 30 days, take it up to the Supreme Court, or is this about a statement right now?” Harlow asked.
“Listen, I can make any number of statements and already have,” Grisham boasted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
N.M. <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMLG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovMLG</a>: “It’s not for police to tell me what’s constitutional or not. They haven’t supported one, not one gun violence effort in the state of New Mexico, including domestic violence protections, universal background checks.” <a href="https://t.co/KE7YT0BS9B">pic.twitter.com/KE7YT0BS9B</a>
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1701618616955806179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The Permian Boom Collides With a Governor’s Climate-Change Push

‘It’s Not For The Police To Tell Me What’s Constitutional’: NM Gov Defiantly Defends Suspending Gun Rights

NM Gov Defiantly Defends Suspending Gun Rights

Democrat

governor

Michelle Lujan Grisham

New Mexico

California Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a> is proposing changing the Constitution to restrict gun ownership.
Newsom, a Democrat, on Thursday proposed a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that would enshrine several gun control wishlist items in the country&#8217;s supreme legal document.
&#8220;Our ability to make a more perfect union is literally written into the Constitution,&#8221; Newsom <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newsom-proposes-constitutional-amendment-restrict-gun-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Thursday in his announcement. “So today, I’m proposing the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution to do just that.&#8221;
Newsom said the 28th Amendment would leave the Second Amendment &#8220;unchanged&#8221; and would &#8220;respect America’s gun-owning tradition.&#8221;
However, the amendment would implement &#8220;commonsense gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and gun owners overwhelmingly support,&#8221; the governor said.
“This is a mechanism to address that despair,” Newsom said just before his announcement. “We’re sick of being on the defense and throwing up our hands. We want to go on the offense and be for something and build a movement that’s bottom up, not top down.”
Newsom&#8217;s proposal comes nearly a year after the Supreme Court granted Second Amendment advocates a major win last year in New York.
The court <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/23/1102995474/supreme-court-opinion-guns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struck down</a> a century-old New York law that limited gun carry licenses to people carrying them for sports like hunting or shooting or those with a special need for self-defense, like transporting cash.
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The proposed constitutional amendment would ban &#8220;assault weapons,&#8221; implement universal background checks for gun purchases, raise the federal minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21, and impose a mandatory <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/08/newsom-gun-control-amendment-00100954" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;reasonable&#8221;</a> waiting period for all gun purchases.
The amendment would also leave room for Congress, states, and local governments to impose additional gun regulations on top of the amendment&#8217;s regulations.
The Constitution can only be amended in <a href="https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Constitution_vrd.htm#:~:text=Article%20V%20of%20the%20Constitution,thirds%20of%20the%20state%20legislatures." target="_blank" rel="noopener">two ways</a>.
The first way is through Congress approving an amendment through a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, then sending it back to states for ratification. The second way is through a convention of states under Article V, meaning two-thirds of state legislatures would have to agree to even consider a new constitutional amendment, then agree to adopt it, and then send it back to the states for ratification.
Three-fourths of the 50 U.S. states have to ratify new amendments to the Constitution, making it extremely difficult to do.
Democrats have only a two-seat majority in the Senate, and Republicans control the House, so it is very unlikely a constitutional amendment on gun control would get two-thirds support in either chamber.
Because of this, Newsom wants to pass his amendment through a convention of states.
Newsom said he will lobby other state legislatures to convince them to call a convention of states and move forward with his gun control amendment.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) was quick to condemn Newsom&#8217;s proposal.
&#8220;Newsom’s latest publicly stunt once again shows that his unhinged contempt for the right to self-defense has no bounds,&#8221; the NRA <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newsom-proposes-constitutional-amendment-restrict-gun-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement, adding, &#8220;California is a beacon for violence because of Newsom’s embrace of policies that champion the criminal and penalize the law-abiding.&#8221;
Gun Owners of America (GOA) challenged Newsom&#8217;s claim that the Second Amendment would remain intact.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve always warned those who cherish their God-given liberties that the ultimate goal of anti-gunners was the abolishment of the Second Amendment,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newsom-proposes-constitutional-amendment-restrict-gun-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> GOA&#8217;s Erich Pratt.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Newsom Proposes Gun Control Constitutional Amendment

California

Gavin Newsom

With mass shootings dominating the news, it feels like the United States has turned into a war zone. Now, Congress must act to protect the American citizenry.
The publicity that comes with these mass shootings drives a predictable response from politicians, celebrities, and even sports teams — a cry for so-called common sense gun laws. President Biden has called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, universal background checks, and an end to immunity for gun manufacturers. <a href="https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2691703/celebrity-parents-gun-violence/12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kim Kardashian</a> and even the NBA&#8217;s <a href="https://www.ksby.com/dallas-mavericks-wade-into-politics-following-texas-mass-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas Mavericks</a> have also called for more stringent gun laws.
Most of these pleas are uninformed and would do nothing to stop new mass shootings. There are two solutions Congress can address immediately to help stem the tide — eliminate &#8216;gun-free&#8217; zones and expand concealed carry laws. Liberals don&#8217;t want to hear that, but these two moves could go a long way in keeping would-be shooters guessing who&#8217;s armed who&#8217;s not. 
The data do not support the argument for more and more gun control. Only 12% of mass killings are “<a href="https://www.heritage.org/the-constitution/report/the-current-gun-debate-mass-shootings?_ga=2.66986990.1762492120.1567008225-1261428870.1565801058" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mass public shootings</a>. Most mass killings are ‘familicides’ (murders of family members or intimate partners) and felony-related killings (robberies or gang-related ‘turf battles’).” In the U.S., mass public shootings account for less than 0.5% of all <a href="https://crimeresearch.org/2019/07/breaking-down-mass-public-shooting-data-from-1998-though-june-2019-info-on-weapons-used-gun-free-zones-racial-age-and-gender-demographics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gun deaths</a> every year.
But the Democrats insist the answer is a ban on assault weapons and more criminal background checks.
First, let us look at the call to ban “AR-style” assault weapons to reduce mass shootings. According to research provided by the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/">FBI to Pew Research</a>, assault weapons are not the weapon of choice when it comes to gun related crime. In 2020, handguns were involved in 59% of gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters. “Rifles – the category that includes assault weapons – were involved in 3% of firearm murders.” This means that approximately 408 people were killed by “assault weapons” in 2020. For comparison, more than 500 people are killed by <a href="https://petpedia.co/how-many-people-die-from-hippos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hippopotamuses</a> each year and more <a href="https://www.dailycal.org/2017/06/30/14-things-kill-people-sharks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people</a> die falling out of bed or from volcanic explosions each year than are killed by assault weapons.
Second, criminals, by definition, do not abide by the law — that&#8217;s what makes them criminals. Federal law requires a criminal background check for all firearm sales and transfers by licensed dealers. The challenge is that most criminals do not legally obtain their guns. A 2016 <a href="https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/suficspi16.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Survey</a> of Prison Inmates reported that approximately 1 in 5 (21%) of all state and federal prisoners reported possessing or using a firearm when they committed the offense for which they were serving time. Of those prisoners, only 7% purchased the weapon under their own name from a licensed dealer. More than half of prisoners (56%) had stolen the weapon, found it at the scene of a crime, or obtained it off the street or from the underground market.
Nevertheless, Congress can and should immediately enact two common sense gun laws that can help reduce the number of mass shootings.
First, we must outlaw gun-free zones — areas where legal gun owners are prohibited from carrying a gun. Gun-free zones often include schools, stores, movie theaters, and bars/nightclubs. Criminals are emboldened to attack people in gun-free zones for they know they can kill with impunity until law enforcement arrives. Both the outlet mall in Texas and the Christian school in Nashville were gun-free zones. From 1988 through August 2019, more than “85 percent of <a href="https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/gun-facts-and-fiction/mass-shootings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mass Public Shootings</a> have occurred in gun-free zones.” Allowing a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun is simply smart legislation that will save lives.
Second, we must allow for universal recognition of concealed carry licenses. If a person is qualified to carry a concealed weapon in Illinois, she is certainly qualified to carry the same concealed weapon in Rhode Island or New York. We do not require a person to have a driver’s license for each state in which he or she drives. Why do we require someone who has passed all the background checks and completed all the requisite training to seek multiple licenses to carry a concealed weapon.
These common sense gun laws will save lives. If the government is going to take action to reduce gun violence, let them take action that will have a positive impact on the nation.
Jim Nelles is a Navy veteran and supply chain consultant based in Chicago. His articles have appeared in The Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Foxnews.com, and The Daily Wire. He has served as a chief procurement officer, chief supply chain officer, and chief operations officer for multiple companies.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Pistols for sale on display at gun shop

Here Are Two Common Sense Gun Laws Congress Must Pass To Help Stop Mass Shootings

Gun-Free Zones

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