Does National Reciprocity Have a Chance?

Considering what happened earlier this month, is there any hope the 117th Congress — with Democrats now firmly in control of both the Senate and House, plus the Oval Office — will even consider Congressman Richard Hudson’s Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act?

Not likely, as the gun prohibition lobby has the ear of the Capitol Hill majority, and they’re going to exploit the events of Jan. 6th for as long as possible.

Hudson’s legislation has been introduced before, and it has merit. This time around, it had 154 co-sponsors from both sides if the aisle — which is a record. In a press release, Hudson called his bill “a common sense solution” to solving a long-running problem. One does not leave his or her right to bear arms at a state border.

More than three years ago, the legislation was passed in the U.S. House, but Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), then majority leader, let the bill languish. There wasn’t even a committee hearing even though Donald Trump had indicated he would sign it.

So, what’s next? For the immediate future, gun owners will be on the defensive because of the congressional complexion right now. The majority party has no interest in expanding Second Amendment rights, only in eroding them.

At least one group, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), hit the ground running by announcing, coincidentally the same day as the Washington, D.C. “mostly peaceful” protest, it had entered into an agreement with Parscale Strategies to boost the organization’s footprint via digital media marketing and social media advertising.

“We’ll be able to expand our Second Amendment First Responders program and our Winning Firearms Freedom, One Lawsuit-at-a-Time project,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb.

“A modern fight to protect the Second Amendment is happening now,” Parscale observed.

“Extreme factions of our nation want to eliminate the right to bear arms and the Second Amendment Foundation is on the front lines to protect it. I’m honored to join the fight to make sure Americans know the great work of the Second Amendment Foundation and protect our great Constitutional freedoms.”

Sources:

https://www.saf.org/saf-parscale-strategies-join-forces-in-digital-media-marketing-effort/

https://hudson.house.gov/press-releases/hudson-introduces-bipartisan-national-concealed-carry-reciprocity-bill

One Group Supports Reciprocity

Whether Hudson’s legislation has a chance, or will once again gather dust without a hearing, an official with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) thinks it’s a good idea.

Larry Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, noted in a prepared statement, “This legislation provides an answer to the confusing patchwork of laws surrounding concealed carry permits, particularly with regard to states where laws make unwitting criminals out of legal permit holders for a simple mistake of a wrong traffic turn.”

He called Hudson’s measure “a common sense solution to provide law-abiding citizens the right to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits.”

Contrary to what opponents of concealed carry have said about reciprocity legislation, it does not supersede any state’s legal requirements about where you can and can’t carry. Cross a state line, you carry under that state’s rules, even if they conflict with your own state’s statutes.

NSSF reminded us in a news release about the sorry case of Pennsylvanian Shaneen Allen, whose legal ordeal in New Jersey was such an outrage that public pressure compelled then-Gov. Chris Christie to grant her a pardon.

“The pitfalls of these varying state-by-state laws were exposed when Philadelphia resident Shaneen Allen faced up to five years in prison for bringing a firearm into New Jersey in 2013,” NSSF recalled. “She held a valid license to carry in Pennsylvania, but not in neighboring New Jersey. The mother-of-two voluntarily told a law enforcement officer of the firearm during a traffic stop, but was still arrested, charged, convicted and spent 48 days in jail – all for having made a wrong turn and accidentally crossing state line. Fortunately, after an 18-month legal ordeal, Republican Gov. Chris Christie pardoned Allen. Others are not so lucky.”

Maybe a Utah Has Better Chance

Enter Utah State Rep. Walt Brooks, who is confident his bill to make Utah a “Constitutional Carry” state will become law this time around.

There are presently at least 16 states that allow permitless concealed carry and a few more that sometimes allow it under certain conditions. Insider chatted with Brooks about two weeks ago, and at the time he said he had chatted with then-Gov.-elect Spencer Cox and then-incoming Lt. Gov. Diedre Henderson and got their support.

What is “constitutional carry?” Simply put, you don’t need a permit or license to pack a gatt, openly or concealed, provided you can legally carry a gun. That means convicted felons or crazy people are still prohibited by law from carrying guns — but when was the last time any such folks bothered with the law?

The legislative session began earlier this week in Salt Lake City, which also saw a demonstration at the Capitol building back on Jan. 6th, simultaneous to the violent protest in Washington, D.C.

Brooks’ bill was passed several years ago but vetoed by then-Gov. Gary Herbert. Brooks told this columnist the Beehive State is a Republican state, so a majority of lawmakers are pro-rights. He expected the bill to move swiftly. We’ll see in the next few days if his prediction was accurate.

Source:
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/1/2/22205108/gun-laws-conceal-concealed-carry-permit-constitutional-legislature-violence-lawmakers-2nd-amendment

Gun Sales Bonanza

Overshadowed by violent events 15 days ago, a year-end report from the FBI’s National Instant Check System (NICS) showed 2020 was a boom year for gun sales. Adjusted data from NSSF confirmed that.

First, we’ll look at the raw NICS background check numbers. Last year, there were 39,695,315 background checks initiated with the NICS system. In just December, there were a record 3,937,066 NICS checks, slightly surpassing the 3,931,607 checks in June and by a wider martin the 3,740,688 reported in March.

According to NSSF adjusted data, more than 21 million background checks were conducted specifically for firearms sales in 2020. This was 60% above the number of sales in 2019, and 34 percent above 2016, when the previous record was set. Last year also saw an estimated 8.4 million first-time gun buyers, according to NSSF’s Mark Oliva.

“This occurred under the most challenging of circumstances,” Oliva said. “Law-abiding Americans demanded to exercise their right to lawfully purchase, keep and bear arms. Some governors, mayors and even Members of Congress actively stood in the way of that and didn’t relent until faced with court action. At the same time, workers in these firearm and ammunition factories, distributors, retailers and ranges made adjustments to keep their workforce safe and protected from infection while keeping pace with the demand of the American public. That’s a testament to the determination of the American worker that makes our freedoms possible.”

Dubbed the “Barkeep,” this rimfire has a 2” barrel cut with a 1:10-inch right-hand twist. It sports traditional sights — front blade and rear notch — and a manual safety, which 19th Century single actions didn’t have.

While it comes with one cylinder chambered for .22 Long Rifle, an optional second cylinder for .22 Magnums is available. The cylinder is finished in black oxide, while the frame is available either in black oxide or a simulated case hardened finish. Grip options are either custom scroll wood or gray pearl, and they’re handsome.

This little sixgun has an overall length of 7.95 inches, and it is 1.5 inches wide.

Sources:
https://heritagemfg.com/small-bore/heritage-barkeep
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/heritage-barkeep