Reciprocity - There is hope

[kraigwy]

If we do our job.

Sen Thume (SD) & others attempted to get an amendment in the 2009 Defense Authorization Bill that would allow for reciprocity for CC permitees to carry in any state that allows CC permits.

The vote was 58-39 or two votes short of the 60 needed to allow the amendment to come up for a vote. Again, that was in 2009, Different Senators come the 2011 session.

Now its our turn, we all need to write, call, or e-mail our senators and get this amendment brought up again. I believe this go around there are enough votes to stop a filibuster and get it to a vote where it would pass. If attached to the right bill the president will have to sign it.

Get to writing folks.

 

[Tom Servo]

Federally mandated reciprocity seems like a great idea, but I worry that the devil is in the implementation.

First of all, do we want centralized Federal oversight on carry permits? There would have to be a set of acceptable baseline requirements. Who defines those requirements? New York? Maryland?

There's also a distinct possibility of backfire. Take states like California and New Jersey. Both issue permits, but for the most part, it is very difficult for the average person to get one. Under the Thune scheme, a resident of one of those states could (in theory) bypass their local system and get a Florida non-resident permit.

If one of those states issues permits at all, they'll have to recognize one from a state where it's much easier to get one. The solution? Stop issuing permits completely. It gets them out of having to comply, and it leaves citizens of that state worse off than they were before.

In spirit, I love the idea. In practice, I think this is still a battle to be fought within individual states.

 

[mes227]

The issue is analogous to a driver's license. While each state has it's own requirements to obtain and maintain a license, all states recognize each others. While we have go so wide of this idea boggles the mind. Even excluding the outliers, Calif and Wash, the most reciprocity one can achieve is a dismal 31 states, and few of those are board states. E.g., I live in Nevada and not a single neighbor recognizes my CCW (Utah did but no longer). For hunters, hikers and people working from their vehicle, crossing state lines is a routine matter and that it can cause one commit a felony is a miscarriage of justice.

The driver's license analogy has once significant divergence: driving is not protected by the Constitution.

 

[Tennessee Gentleman]

Another thing about driver's licenses is that the states recognize them through compacts with EACH OTHER. Not through the Fed. I too am fearful of tying state CCW laws to fed authority. I think those living in "bad" CCW states need to get off their rear ends and pass legislation to change that rather than rely on the Thune proposal which could backfire. I foresee a number of problems with it.