New Fox News piece: Should New York tourists have their lives destroyed because of concealed carry laws?
My newest piece starts this way:
Just a few days before Christmas, Meredith Graves made a mistake that could end her medical career and send her to prison for at least 3 ½ years. The 39-year-old fourth-year medical student was carrying a permitted concealed handgun when she saw the sign at the 9/11 Memorial saying “No guns allowed.” She did the responsible thing and asked a security guard where she could check her weapon. Unfortunately, while her Tennessee concealed carry license is recognized in 40 states, New York isn’t one of them. Meredith was arrested.
A week earlier, Californian Mark Meckler told LaGuardia Airport officials that he had licensed handgun in a locked safe in checked baggage. At virtually any other airport in the country, checking a gun locked in a box wouldn’t be a problem. Meckler was arrested and charged with second-degree possession of an illegal weapons. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
Even New York’s second most powerful Democrat and a strong gun control advocate, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver thinks that tourists who accidentally break the state’s strict carry laws shouldn’t have their lives destroyed. “Her actions show a clear indication that she didn’t know she was breaking the law, and when she saw the sign, she said, ‘OK, I do have a gun. Take it from me.’ There was no criminal intent,” said Silver.
As the Tennessean newspaper (Nashville) put it: “[Meredith’s] arrest highlights the confusing patchwork of concealed weapons laws across the nation.”
But New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the local District Attorneys don’t seem interested in showing mercy. . . .
Labels: ConcealedCarry, op-ed
posted by John Lott at 4:22 AM
6 Comments:
Proof positive that those signs only work for law abiding citizens.
She has a right to keep and bear arms as an American.
New York State's gun laws are repugnant to the Second Amendment, the US Bill of Rights, and the US Constitution, the little hitleroid in Gracie Mansion notwithstanding.
It pains me that American conservatives are so inconsistent in their views. Confusing gun laws are an artifact of states' rights. In fact, a whole lot of inefficiencies and awkwardness arise from states' rights. But that is the system we have - and a principled that American conservatives frequently pay homage to - until it conflicts w/ their agenda.
This inconsistency also manifests itself in the so-called "pro-life" movement that is notably indifferent to war and the death penalty. It should be called the "pro-life-that-I-like" movement, eh?
I am among those who think that the Constitution was written by men born of women, who lacked psychic powers and were, therefor, only able to see into the future with limited precision.
We are now a crowded land mass w/ 310 million people, modern communications, data processing, night vision cameras, tens of thousands of police, and a military w/o much constructive to do. Oh, and supermarkets, wherein we buy meat. Guns have become unnecessary for the citizenry. Toys, if you will, for hobbyists.
The US is so crowded that hunting has declined a lot.
So here's the deal. The Constitution is - and always was - meant to serve our collective needs. And as a practical matter, few of us need a gun today. Moreover, even the Constitution says that the right to arms is for the need to have well regulated militias. So let's continue to arm the police and the soldiery.
Meanwhile, let's lighten up on Joe Blow being able to sport a gun. We have real issues to occupy our time. Like jobs, eh?
States do not have a right to legislate gun laws John. The Second Amendment forbids any type of legislation that denies any citizen the right to keep and bear arms for any purpose. The 14th applies the Constitution to the states, in order to prevent states from enacting such laws too.
When a State joins the union, it does so knowing that the Constitution applies to the State, and this was even before the 14th was enacted. The 14th was passed so that all citizens could not be denied their rights as U.S. citizens, as had happened before (and after slavery).
Excerpt from Section 1 "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States;"
States do NOT have the right to outlaw U.S. citizens rights. Ignorance of this, is what leads folks into believing those who say that States can pass whatever law they want to...
Firearms are, and always have been a necessity for free people everywhere John.
You display an ignorance of history, the Constitution, and why firearms ownership as well as the right to bear arms was so important to our Founding Fathers.
History does not repeat itself, human nature does. In this case, you John, are living in a fanatsy world where all folks mean no harm to others. To say the police / military do not have anything constructive to do is absurd.
Have you not noticed that all despots throughout history have always disarmed the citizenry so that they could be enslaved to whatever level said despot wished?
My real issue that worries I the most, is retaining my freedom. For it is freedom from tyranny that allows us to be the best we can be, and we cannot maintain our freedom if we allow folks like you to dictate to the rest of us how we should live our lives.
In a nutshell John, your viewpoint is extremely naive, and unsuportable in the real world.
Post a Comment
<< Home