An op-ed by a former New York Times restaurant critic discusses the concept of national reciprocity for concealed carry license holders. This being the New York Times, it is both predictably slanted and inaccurate.
The subject of the op-ed is the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. If passed, any American who has a CCW permit will be allowed to carry his or her weapon in any state that issues such permit, regardless of differences in issuance requirements.
The op-ed writer uses sarcasm to cast aspersions upon the proposed bill and the NRA, which supports it. His primary complaint seems to be that the NRA and their political allies usually despise the federal government intruding into the area of states rights… such as “health care, tort reform, education.” Where the writer misses the point (whether because he’s a political hack and intentionally avoided it, or he’s just an unthinking moron I can’t answer) is that the right to bear arms is the right of *all* Americans by dint of the Constitution. Human rights are the sort of things that the federal government was set up specifically to protect, are are the sort of things that states *cannot* infringe upon. States cannot restrict the press, cannot establish religions, quarter troops in homes, or carry out cruel and unusual punishments… or infringe on the right to keep and bear arms. States *do* have the rights to do their own thing on things that the Constitution does not touch on.
Additionally… all states have to accept all other states drivers licences, regardless of issuance requirements.
One of the restaurant critics last lines:
…off to New York the South Dakotan tourist could go, 9-millimeter Glock in tow.
Huh.
According to the FBI, in 2010 there were 14 murders on South Dakota (0.8 million population = 17 murders per million) and 860 in New York (19.4 million population = 44.5 murders per million). So… what this wilting violet seems to be afraid of is that if this law passes, his state will suddenly be flooded with people less murderous than his own. Go ahead and figure that out.
Further: the firearm homicides in South Dakota for 2010 were 8, and 517 for New York. That means that 57% of homicides in gun-happy SD were by gun; 60% of homicides in gun restricting NY were by firearm. Worst of all, there is one state that just plain bans concealed carry for politically unconnected citizens… Illinois. In 2010, there were 453 homicides (out of 12.8 million… 35.4 murders per million), of which 80% – 364 – were by firearm. Letting outsiders pack heat into the state would only *benefit* Illinois.
