There has been buzz about the possibility of President Trump initiating legislation or an executive order to mandate a national concealed carry permit or reciprocity. I have mixed feelings on this subject as I know many others do as well.
Let me begin by saying that I know a perfect libertarian society requires personal responsibility, the kind that has pretty much gone by the wayside. It is often said that common sense is so rare these days that it should be considered a super power. I dream of a world where everyone takes responsibility for their own actions and combines that responsibility with common sense, but it is highly unlikely that our society will change anytime soon.
So here is my dilemma. As a second amendment advocate, I believe that anyone should be able to own any firearm or other weapon that they choose for self defense. The government should have no say as to what an individual can or cannot own. Likewise, the government should have no say as to how you carry your firearm, concealed or otherwise. Obviously, organizations such as the NRA are great advocates for education and proper handling of firearms. Organizations such as the NRA are a wealth of knowledge for safety and advocacy. Here lies the rub.
Some states have a concealed carry law requiring a class of some sort and an application for a permit. Other states don't allow concealed carry, and some have no laws at all restricting concealed carry. Hooray for states rights, but there is confusion. As an NRA pistol instructor, I am qualified to teach concealed carry classes for the state of Ohio. Ohio in turn has reciprocity with many states, meaning that the Ohio permit is accepted in most other states. Likewise, the states with reciprocity means that Ohio law enforcement will accept those permit holders as well.
My concern is two fold. As I mentioned in my post, Annie Get Your Gun, I believe that if you can afford it, you can own it. As a libertarian, I also believe that it is none of the government's business as to how you carry your gun, either concealed or open. It is the responsibility of the individual to implement best practices with proper care and handling. Obviously we know that not all gun owners utilize best practices. This is why we hear of children gaining access to guns and shooting them, sometimes causing significant harm or even death. Tragic and unnecessary. These cases give politicians the fodder they are looking for to control guns in the name of safety.
The problem is not the gun, it is the owner. Guns are simply a machine just as a car or a see-saw. These machines do nothing without a person to operate them. This is why the Social Security Administration was slated to get involved with gun ownership under the Obama administration. They wanted to remove the rights of gun ownership from anyone receiving Social Security income for a "mental health" reason. Even the Obama administration knows that it is the person, not the gun which is the concern. However under Obama, the SSA could revoke payments or confiscate guns without due process and other unconstitutional violations. Anyway, back to my point.
One of the good things that concealed carry laws have is the ability to verify at least some basic level of knowledge and training for the individual to be permitted to carry concealed in a public area. While I am fully against this regulation. In a world with very little responsibility and common sense, it is somewhat comforting to know at a permit holder should know what they are doing when it come to proper care, retention and use.
The big issue is that we have to determine if the individual states have authority or if the second amendment supersedes the states rights. If the second amendment is the final say, then the concealed carry option for the states is mute. If the states have the rights, then it should require an act of congress to mandate a national concealed carry standard. As a responsible gun owner, I believe that I have the right to carry anyway I want, anywhere I want for the purpose of security and protection of self and family. I don't believe that I need a permit because of the second amendment. However, I have genuine concern about other people who have the same right, but don't use any common sense to properly store, maintain, or handle their own firearms.
I want nothing more than to have every American own and carry a gun, but without education and training, it can be dangerous. We wouldn't allow a person to drive a car without education and training first, we don't even let electricians install lights without some level of education and training. How can we possibly allow people to own and carry a deadly weapon without it? The answer is because of the second amendment. It doesn't stipulate any training requirements. It assumes that the individual is competent and capable of making sound decisions. Even the anti-gun crowd knows that there are idiots out there. The honest anti-gun lobby realizes it is a public safety issue and not a gun issue.
An honest solution to this problem with gun ownership and concealed carry is education. I would propose that the NRA teach a course that is required by all public schools (another institution I think should be eliminated, but that is for another day). In order to graduate, there should be required learning and successful completion for public school students to fully understand the constitution and its application today. For the section on the second amendment, the NRA would teach a semester long class that involves proper storage, maintenance, and use of the three most common firearms, hand guns, rifles, and shotguns. This class would be required for graduation, but not to own a gun, because gun ownership is protected under the constitution, whereas graduation is not. Upon graduation, individuals can choose whether or not they want to own a gun. At least this way we can rest assured that any student graduating from public school has an understanding of the constitution and proper care and use of firearms. Its not perfect, but it is a start.
Just as we cannot legislate morality, we cannot legislate intelligence or common sense, but we can make sure that our tax dollars are being spent on real education. Who knows, maybe some of our more disinterested students might even want to go to school and graduate. What a crazy idea.
Peace and Freedom,
Geoff
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