Student Paper of DePaul University Calls on “Right to Bear Arms”
Time and time again, we see editorials that suggest that lax gun laws are somehow responsible for tragic shootings. That if there were just stricter laws somehow criminals would be unarmed. Of course this is backward logic.
So it was refreshing to see Allison C. Barinholtz write an op-ed piece for The DePaulia, the student paper of DePaul University, titled “The right to bear arms and self-defense.” Ms. Barinholtz notes an interesting point:
“…there exists no constitutional amendment granting the right to government to limit the usage or ownership of private guns.”
This is an interesting point, given that many on the other side of the issue like to note that the Second Amendment is not limitless in its power.
She also makes an excellent point on the notion of carrying firearms, concealed or open:
“With the capability of individuals to carry guns, coupled with the proper permits and training, the common citizen is safer overall. The permission to carry a gun grants both power and responsibility. Some are afraid that granting people more power in this field will encourage more and easily provoked gun violence. Comfort may lie within the realization that a firearm does not need to actually be used in order to gain a desired effect.”
Of course, we must accept that the anti-gun zealots won’t see, or agree with this point of view.
Montana Shooting Sports Association
From the Montana Shooting Sports Association:
An MSSA member asked me to clarify where and how what sort of carry is legal in Montana, since the Governor vetoed HB 271.
If you want to know about all the gun laws in Montana, get my book, Gun Laws of Montana.
First, the definition of “concealed” for concealed weapons in Montana is not a dictionary definition as in hidden from view. Rather, the definition is specified in law as “wholly or partially covered by clothing or wearing apparel.”
Thus, under the seat of your car (in Montana – different in other states), in the console between the seats, in the glove box, in a backpack, in a briefcase, and even in a woman’s purse are not considered to be “concealed” for the purpose of Montana concealed weapon law.
Under current law you may carry openly most places, regardless of city limits. You may carry concealed outside city limits without a permit. You may carry concealed inside city limits without a permit in your home or place of business (presumably with your employer’s permission).
You may also carry concealed inside city limits without a permit if you are a person “who is lawfully engaged in hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, hiking, backpacking, farming, ranching, or other outdoor activity in which weapons are often carried for recreation or protection;”, says current law.
So, if you are inside city limits, outside your home or place of business, and not doing one of the list of outdoor things exempted in the law, and have a firearm “wholly or partially covered by clothing or wearing apparel,” you must have a concealed weapon permit to be legal.
Gary Marbut, presidentMontana Shooting Sports Association
www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
www.mtpublish.com
About Montana Shooting Sports Association:
MSSA is the primary political advocate for Montana gun owners. Visit: www.mtssa.org
California Progress Report Cites Bad Examples in Anti-Gun Op-Ed
Dr. Dallas M. Stout of the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence should know that when trying to make a point you should actually pull examples that support your argument.
In an op-ed piece for California Progress Report titled, “Open Carrying of Guns Should Be Banned in California – Support AB 144,” he cites three examples of children who have been tragically killed with firearms. However, all three cases resulted in children getting guns in their parents’ homes!
He even notes, “accidents happen because children are naturally curious and adults are often careless.” Yes, this is true and tragic. But children also get hurt riding bikes too. Should we ban bicycles and keep our children in panic rooms?
Stout further makes some other bad comparisons:
“No doubt there are reasonable, law-abiding citizens who would like to open carry. But how are the rest of us supposed to know who is a reasonable person and who is a Jared Lee Loughner.”
What is to stop the next Loughner from just merely illegally carrying a gun? This is a point lost time and time again on these anti-gun zealots. If a person is going to shoot someone with an illegal gun, a ban on carrying said gun probably isn’t going to deter them!
But is the issue really about open carry, or just that he doesn’t want his children to see guns? He sums up his points very well stating:
“But what about parents who don’t want their children exposed to the gun culture?”
And here is where it comes to a head. Stout doesn’t want his kids to even know guns exist, not that there aren’t guns on TV – and we mean the news as much as movies or TV shows. We assume his children never play video games either?
OpenCarry.org: Anti-Gun Sue Tibbs’ Forces Hobson’s Choice on Open Carry with Trick Ballot Question
From our friends at OpenCarry.org:
It’s bad enough for state Representative Sue Tibbs (nominally an R) to oppose restoring the right to open carry in Oklahoma and want to punt to voters’ opinion via ballot question.
But it’s ‘below the belt’ politics to push a gun rights ballot question on voters when the only available answers are . . . anti-gun!
29 states allow open carry in public without any license, generally at age 18. But Sue Tibb’s House Bill 1796 asks voters only whether to restore the right to open carry in Oklahoma to those citizens over 21 years of age who have paid for a license for the privilege to conceal a sidearm.
“This ballot question is phrased to fail – it’s a setup,” says Russ Cook, Vice-President of OK2A and founder of the online Oklahoma open carry petition.
“Voters who do not believe in the Second Amendment will vote no, and most gun owners will also vote no against the licensing/registration requirement,” explains Cook, asking “what will Tibbs ask voters to weigh in on next? Whether citizens should have the right to vote if they pay a poll tax?” HB 1796 is a “poison pill ballot question designed to fail so as to deter future open carry reform in Oklahoma,” says OpenCarry.org co-founder John Pierce.
“Open carry is the Second Amendment,” adds Pierce, and “pro-Second Amendment voters will vote no on HB 1796 because the American tradition rejects licensing schemes when it comes to fundamental Constitutional rights.”
OpenCarry.org calls on the Oklahoma House of Representatives to adopt Representative Steve Martin’s pre-filed floor amendment to strip out the poison pill ballot question.
43 states allow open carry, and Florida is widely expected to raise this number to 44 this year. Oklahoma should ante up and make it 45!
Carry on!About:
OpenCarry.org was founded in 2004 by Virginia gun-rights activists John Pierce and Mike Stollenwerk and has served to ignite the “Open Carry Movement” that is sweeping the country. In addition to being an invaluable legal resource for gun owners, the site has quickly grown to be a social networking portal for thousands of American gun owners. Visit: www.OpenCarry.org
ICarry.org Notes Madison Police Chief Tries to Stop Open Carry
ICarry.org is the latest group to join efforts to stop Madison Police Chief Noble Wray’s efforts to stop open carry in his city. The group via Ammoland.com noted, “Madison Police Chief Noble Wray has dug his heels into the sand, vowing to do everything he thinks he’ll get away with to suppress gun owners from exercising their rights.”
The story also includes a link to the official City of Madison press release on the subject, so readers can see all points of view on this issue. An informed gun owner is a smart gun owner.
What Media Mostly Fails to Report – Few Gun Incidents in Tennessee Parks
It is pretty much a fact that you can’t really prove a negative. It is also said that no news is good news. This could in fact explain why there has been little said from the media about firearms being allowed in state parks in Tennessee. A year ago there was great uproar that it would turn these peaceful sanctuaries into war zones if guns were suddenly allowed.
But interesting the Associated Press via KnoxNews.com has noted, “Only two gun-related incidents have been reported in states parks.” Neither of these resulted in violence said officials. Could it be that guns and parks can coexist? Where is the Mayors Against Illegal Guns study on this one?
Capitol Weekly Shows Anti-Gun Bias in Reporting on Gun Legislation
Maybe someone should tell the staff at Capitol Weekly, “The Newspaper of California Government and Politics” to watch some old episodes of Dragnet and just tell “the facts, just the facts.” The paper reported on “A graveyard for key bills at the 11th hour” and shows some serious anti-gun bias. Read more
AP Reports on Failed Ban on Open-Carry, Sounds Disappointed
Someone at the Associated Press was probably hoping to write a piece on how California lawmakers passed a bill that would have made it illegal to carry unloaded guns in public, but instead the news service had to report that the measure failed.
AP noted:
“The Senate narrowly approved the measure… but it failed in the Assembly.”
Additionally, AP noted that lawmakers did not act on a second bill that would have made it a law requiring all long guns, including rifles and shotguns to be registered. AP also stated, “the bill fell short during an initial vote Monday.”
Is this a case of sour grapes from the AP? If so, too bad.
San Diego Tribune Doesn’t Hide Anti-Gun Frustration
In reporting on the open carry “ban,” writer Michael Gardner of The San Diego Union-Tribune noted, “‘Open Carry’ ban falls short in a surprise.” Was this really a surprise? The legislation had already failed to pass before, and many saw this as a last ditch effort.
But Gardner doesn’t stop with a biased headline; he offers this biased intro as well:
“Time ran out for legislation to ban the public display of unloaded handguns, a stunning development it he Assembly as the midnight deadline for passing most bills arrived before a vote could be taken Tuesday.”
That is wording we’d expect to read in an editorial, not a news feature.
California Rejects Open-Carry Gun Ban… For Now
The gun owners of California have spoken, and it has been reported that this week the California Senate apparently listened, as it rejected a bill that would have made it illegal to carry unloaded guns in public. However, the vote on Monday fell one vote short of the majority (20-16) needed to ban the measure.
The irony is that the bill, AB1934, was actually introduced following a series of gun-rights demonstrations in support of the open-carry law. If passed, and it does appear that the legislation could try again today, it would make it a misdemeanor to openly carry a handgun in any public place.
