And for most of us, it’s not that big a change anyway because most states already recognize each other’s permits. For example, if you have a permit in your home state of Florida, here’s the map of who recognizes your permit.
That’s enough states to call a Constitutional Convention, propose and ratify an expansion of the 2nd Amendment.
So for most people in all those green states, this is a minor change that would only slightly expand their functional liberty.
The big change is that many states, including Florida, will issue permits to non-residents— for example, if you’re traveling there and your own state won’t. A strong Federal reciprocity law would effectively bring shall-issue concealed carry to all Americans. Even in California; even in Maryland; even in the District of Columbia.
That’s a big deal.
6 comments:
The idea is sound, but I'm adamantly opposed to a Constitutional Convention.
We got deucedly lucky with our 18th century convention (which itself violated the Congress' instructions, not a very salutary precedent, for all that we got away with it). I strongly doubt we'd get so lucky again.
One would be unnecessary, too. All of our Amendments subsequent to the Bill of Rights, have been onesies and twosies and needed no convention to propose and get enacted. So it would be with a concealed carry (or open carry, come to that) reciprocity Amendment.
Eric Hines
Florida has issued permits to non residents for years. I could have got one when I got my SC permit 15 years ago. As far as duty to inform in SC, that went away when we got constitutional carry last year. I would still inform an officer if I was carrying just to be on the safe side. It's actually got me out of a couple of tickets, once in Houston, TX and once in a little town in SC.
That's great, Eric, because no one is proposing a Constitutional Convention. Now, some people are proposing a convention of states, where states propose amendments to the current Constitution as Article V allows. I fully support that, even if I am skeptical that any of their amendments will be ratified by 3/4s of the states.
3/4ths of the states is 38 states -- which is the same number of states as honor my NC firearms license. That's the point I was trying to make: in terms of democratic legitimacy, we've got enough to call the Article V convention, propose a new amendment to strengthen the 2nd or to overturn any Federal gun control laws, and to get it ratified.
No one is actually proposing doing that, but the math is there to support it.
I would delete the above comment as, looking at it in the light of day, it seems irrelevant. But Grim clarified below, so I'll leave it.
Yeah, it was clear, I was just tired when I replied.
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