Gun Rights Lesson #831 – Your Gun Rights are Safe

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one of a series of articles on gun rights. Each addresses a common anti-gun trope.

“No one’s trying to take your guns away, your gun rights are safe!”

I most recently saw this assertion as a comment to a post by Congressman Mark Meadows that announced his joining the newly formed Second Amendment Caucus (led by good-guy Congressman Thomas Massie). It echoes President Obama’s oft repeated declaration that he has no intention of taking Americans’ guns away (even as he took executive actions that some justify as “loophole tightening” but others see as infringing on rights without due process).

The gist of the argument within the context of Rep. Meadows’ announcement is that there’s no need for a Second Amendment Caucus because gun rights are in good shape. It is indeed true that gun rights have been moving in a good direction for the past 30 years or so. Florida started the “right-to-carry” movement (wherein the state is required to issue an applicant a concealed-carry permit unless it can show cause not to, rather than at its own discretion/whims) that has seen dozens of states follow suit. A more robust “Constitutional Carry” movement, where no permit is required to concealed-carry unless the law debars you from owning a gun (e.g. you’re a felon)) recently won through its 11th state. Two major Supreme Court decisions (Heller and McDonald) affirmed that the Second Amendment is indeed an individual right. The Republican Party gained majority in the House in 2010 and the Senate in 2014, and retained both this past election. And, the nation just elected a Republican President who, by most indications, is disinclined to do anything negative towards gun rights.

So, yes, our gun rights have been faring pretty well.

However (and you knew there was going to be a however, didn’t you?), that doesn’t mean that we are a – where we need to be, or b – rid of those who see guns as a scourge to be restricted and ultimately banned. As some have correctly observed, “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

Lets look past the 41 states that have enacted right-to-carry or constitutional-carry laws. Lets look at the 9 states that have not. Maryland, New York, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island are “may-carry” states. In some cases, this is little more than a formality (e.g. reportedly, getting a Connecticut carry license isn’t that difficult). In other cases, it’s nigh-on impossible to all but the famous, wealthy and politically connected. These 9 states contain of over 86 million people, or 27% of all Americans (and this doesn’t count localities that are may-issue, such as Chicago). So, while 41 out of 50 sounds like great success in the expansion of gun rights at the state level, 1 American in 4 still needs permission to exercise a right that, according to the Second Amendment, “shall not be infringed.”

So, while great progress has been made, there’s still a long way to go, especially in “blue” America. And, there are still oodles of anti-gun politicians, activists and citizens out there, and while these folks may assert that they don’t want to disarm their fellow Americans, they do want to restrict access and impose stultifying regulations. Billionaire and former NY City mayor Mike Bloomberg is one of these folks, and has spent tens of millions of dollars fighting gun rights expansion efforts and pursuing what they call “common-sense public safety laws” that seem fixated on making life difficult for the law-abiding, and by some assertions are indeed ultimately about confiscation.

Meanwhile, in Supreme-Court-Land, the two landmark pro-gun-rights decisions did not end the controversy. They left unspecified the degree to which states can regulate and restrict ownership and carry rights. The Court has refused, so far, to take up any additional gun-rights cases (one refusal actually drew dissent from two Justices, a rare occurrence when it comes to certiorari), although some believe that a recent appellate ruling, Kolbe v Hogan, might make it to SCOTUS.

Meanwhile-meanwhile, there is a nascent push for for federal legislation mandating licensing reciprocity across the states, i.e. a requirement that each state honors the concealed carry permits/licenses that other states have issued, just as states honor each other’s driver’s licenses. This would be a wonderful positive development, but it is certain to face stiff opposition from anti-gun groups, who refuse to recognize the realities of our rights, of gun ownership trends, and of crime trends.

In sum, while we have witnessed good, positive achievements in gun rights over the past three decades, there is still much more that needs to happen in order to restore our gun rights. And, there are still many who would seek to deny further progress and undo those achievements. With the fear of Hillary Clinton, a clear opponent of gun rights, appointing anti-gun Justices no longer looming, with a Congress controlled by the party that purports to be more pro-gun-rights, and with a President who’s said some good things about gun rights, we can hold good hope that progress will continue, and we should press for that progress. As my Fourth Law of Life states, “someone has to push.”

So:

Gun rights lesson #831: While progress has been made to restore Americans’ gun rights, there is much more to do, and there are many who would undo what has been done.

• About the Author

About Peter Venetoklis

I am twice-retired, a former rocket engineer and a former small business owner. At the very least, it makes for interesting party conversation. I'm also a life-long libertarian, I engage in an expanse of entertainments, and I squabble for sport.

Nowadays, I spend a good bit of my time arguing politics and editing this website.

If you'd like to help keep the site ad-free, please support us on Patreon.