Post by Decatur on Feb 25, 2011 20:55:52 GMT -5
SC Panel approves bill expanding gun rights
Gun-rights activists applauded a vote Thursday that would allow S.C. citizens to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
The measure, which applies to any resident at least 21 years old who legally can own a gun, has bipartisan support. A House panel voted unanimously to advance the amended bill to the full Judiciary Committee.
“You can’t prevent a criminal from having a gun,” said Byron Chafin of rural Batesburg. “A law-abiding citizen should have the right to protect themselves anywhere they go.”
South Carolina’s top law enforcement officer said allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed guns makes people feel safer and could deter an attack, and he has no problem with it. “You’ve got to have a way to defend yourself,” said State Law Enforcement Division chief Reggie Lloyd, a former judge and U.S. attorney, noting his strong belief that women especially need to arm themselves against attacks.
But other law enforcement officers say they are concerned about allowing people to carry concealed guns without training.
“It’s not that we’re anti-gun-freedom,” said Jarrod Bruder, executive director of the state Law Enforcement Officers Association. “We understand Second Amendment rights, but we want people to know how to use it.”
As of Tuesday, 130,541 people in South Carolina held permits to carry concealed weapons, according to SLED. The permitting process requires at least eight hours of training, which includes hitting 70 percent of targets with a handgun on a course that ranges from 3 to 25 yards, and education on gun safety and laws.
Opponents of the bill say that education piece is especially important.
Without it, people may assume they can carry a gun anywhere and could get in legal trouble, said Jeff Moore, executive director of the S.C. Sheriffs’ Association. He doubts people would read state gun laws on their own, which specify, for example, that guns are prohibited from school sporting events, bars, and government meetings, and businesses can ban them.
Moore noted the proposal would make it harder for a South Carolinian born after 1979 to hunt than to carry a concealed weapon on the street. Hunting requires an education course and permit. “It doesn’t make sense.”
The main sponsor, state Rep. Mike Pitts, said he understands the concerns, but it’s about honoring residents’ constitutional right to bear arms. While people should undergo training and would be safer if they do, the Constitution doesn’t require it, he said.
Nationwide, only three states allow residents to carry a concealed weapon without a permit: Alaska, Arizona and Vermont.
The Associated Press
***************************************************
NH House speaker supports gun legislation, despite others’ concerns
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer
CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, personally signed onto legislation that would make New Hampshire the fourth state to allow concealed guns to be carried without a permit.
But law enforcement leaders, gun victims and some gun owner rights leaders from differing perspectives criticized the plan across the spectrum.
Some attacked it as either a too open-ended policy that threatens public safety while other Second Amendment defenders said it does not deliver enough freedom for the right to bear arms.
Rep. Jennifer Coffey, R-Andover, said her bill (HB 330) may need some tweaking but the current system of permits to carry conflict with individual rights under federal and state Constitutions.
“Like anything else we do, it’s rare a bill goes through without amendment. This can and will be worked out,” Coffee said during an interview after a 21⁄2 hour public hearing Thursday.
“We are not going to be first but we don’t want to be last.”
O’Brien signed on to an amended form of the bill that is in the House GOP agenda for 2011 and has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, and Majority Whip Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry.
Vermont, Alaska and Arizona all require no permits to carry concealed weapons. This bill also aims to let non-residents carry a concealed weapon without a permit if they are licensed to carry at home or come from a state without permits.
Sam Cohen is executive vice president and CEO of Pro Guns NH Inc., a group on which O’Brien sits as a board member. Former Senate Majority Leader Robert Clegg, of Hudson, is its president.
“New Hampshire should not be left in the cold when national reciprocity passes,” Cohen said.
But Salem Police Chief Paul Donovan, a life member of the National Rifle Association, said the current permits are not an obstruction to law-abiding citizens but a critical backstop for police.
“It protects the public for those who are not suitable for carrying a concealed handgun,” Donovan said. “Allowing anyone to carry concealed with no licensing requirement also leaves our local businesses open to increased risk of armed robbery.”
A permit-less state would be an enforcement nightmare for law enforcement especially in border towns that face threats from drug dealers and street gangs, Donovan warned.
“Are we going to see road rage incidents rise to assaults with a dangerous weapon?” Donovan asked.
“This bill may possibly work in northern towns, but it is a dangerous prospect for southern tier border towns where we have many out-of-state shoppers and visitors.”
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and State Police also opposed the measure.
Kate Harris, a child psychologist from Dover, said suicides by guns are epidemic in the U.S. and this bill would increase the risk of wanton street violence.
“Why do I care about this bill? Because I care about my family. I am a victim of gun violence. People don’t recover from gun violence; some people die,” Harris said. “My husband died in a shooting; two of us did not but the shooting will remain with us for the rest of our lives.”
The permits are estimated to raise $750,000 for the Fish and Game Department in 2012 and up to a quarter of that in cities and towns.
Claire Ebel, executive director of the Civil Liberties Union, said the loss of such revenue should give lawmakers pause and she claimed the bill is fatally flawed.
“HB 330 is a classic example of not ready for prime time. The language of the bill and existence of several amendments underscore the lack of readiness for this bill,” Ebel said.
The New Hampshire Firearms Coalition, a rival pro-Second Amendment group, opposes this bill and favors a wide-open alternative (HB 536) that Rep. J.R. Hoell, R-Dunbarton, authors and O’Brien opposes.
“While NHFC stands in strong, unwavering support of the principle that no person should be required to beg for government permission in order to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, this bill falls short of accomplishing that goal,” said NHFC President Jonathan Evans.
Rep. David Welch, R-Kingston, has spent a quarter century working on the state’s concealed permit law and agrees with O’Brien that it’s time to go.
“I believe law-abiding citizens are not a problem. I support constitutional carry,” Welch said.
“Whenever we deal with gun laws, you never can satisfy everyone. Something will pass; let’s make sure it is a good one.”
****************************************************
Wyoming House approves concealed carry bill
Wyoming moved a step closer on Friday to allowing people to carry concealed guns without a permit.
The Wyoming House of Representatives voted 49-9 for a bill that would allow law-abiding state citizens over age 21 to carry concealed guns in most places. They would still be banned in some places, including schools, bars and some government buildings.
The Senate already has approved the bill and it now goes to Republican Gov. Matt Mead.
A spokesman for Mead said Friday he couldn't say how the governor will act on the bill. In his election campaign last year, Mead emphasized his support of gun rights and his enjoyment of hunting and target-shooting.
If the bill becomes law, Wyoming would join Alaska, Arizona and Vermont as states that allow citizens to carry concealed guns without permits. Other state legislatures are considering similar measures.
Proponents of the Wyoming bill have emphasized that both the state and federal constitutions specify people have the right to carry guns.
Speaking after the House vote, Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper, said he believes the Legislature's passage of his bill carries a clear message from lawmakers and Wyoming citizens alike: "Quit taking away our constitutional rights."
"We kind of drew the line in the sand and said we're going to start here and start working back toward everybody having constitutional rights," Jennings said.
Wyoming would continue to issue concealed-carry permits if the bill becomes law so citizens could continue to have the ability to carry concealed weapons in other states that accept Wyoming's permit. In common with many other Western states, Wyoming doesn't require permits to carry guns openly.
Representatives from some Wyoming police groups have testified at committee hearings against allowing concealed carry without a permit. They've said it could encourage dangerous people to carry guns who wouldn't be able to pass a background check under the state's existing concealed-carry permit system.
Jennings said he's not concerned the bill will lead to an increase in crime.
"The people of Wyoming are responsible enough to know what a gun is," Jennings said. "We've got several decades of hunter-safety training in the state. We are a gun culture. So, if there is a law that takes guns away from people, it doesn't take them away from the criminals. You can be real stringent with it, and the outlaws and people who shouldn't have guns are still going to have them."
Rep. James Byrd, D-Cheyenne, spoke against the bill on the House floor.
"I can't think of anything positive that will come out of this for the state, other than that vocal minority that thinks everybody should carry firearms unrestricted will be happy," Byrd said after the vote. "But in essence, it's really a bad public policy move for the state of Wyoming."
A push to enact a similar bill failed in the last legislative session. It passed the House but died in the Senate.
Asked why he believes the bill passed this time, Byrd responded, "To be honest with you, I think it's some of the newly elected people who are running on this platform of removing all government regulation regardless of the impacts on society. And so I guess, staying consistent with that position, this is just an outcome of those views."
Hint hint Indiana!
Gun-rights activists applauded a vote Thursday that would allow S.C. citizens to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
The measure, which applies to any resident at least 21 years old who legally can own a gun, has bipartisan support. A House panel voted unanimously to advance the amended bill to the full Judiciary Committee.
“You can’t prevent a criminal from having a gun,” said Byron Chafin of rural Batesburg. “A law-abiding citizen should have the right to protect themselves anywhere they go.”
South Carolina’s top law enforcement officer said allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed guns makes people feel safer and could deter an attack, and he has no problem with it. “You’ve got to have a way to defend yourself,” said State Law Enforcement Division chief Reggie Lloyd, a former judge and U.S. attorney, noting his strong belief that women especially need to arm themselves against attacks.
But other law enforcement officers say they are concerned about allowing people to carry concealed guns without training.
“It’s not that we’re anti-gun-freedom,” said Jarrod Bruder, executive director of the state Law Enforcement Officers Association. “We understand Second Amendment rights, but we want people to know how to use it.”
As of Tuesday, 130,541 people in South Carolina held permits to carry concealed weapons, according to SLED. The permitting process requires at least eight hours of training, which includes hitting 70 percent of targets with a handgun on a course that ranges from 3 to 25 yards, and education on gun safety and laws.
Opponents of the bill say that education piece is especially important.
Without it, people may assume they can carry a gun anywhere and could get in legal trouble, said Jeff Moore, executive director of the S.C. Sheriffs’ Association. He doubts people would read state gun laws on their own, which specify, for example, that guns are prohibited from school sporting events, bars, and government meetings, and businesses can ban them.
Moore noted the proposal would make it harder for a South Carolinian born after 1979 to hunt than to carry a concealed weapon on the street. Hunting requires an education course and permit. “It doesn’t make sense.”
The main sponsor, state Rep. Mike Pitts, said he understands the concerns, but it’s about honoring residents’ constitutional right to bear arms. While people should undergo training and would be safer if they do, the Constitution doesn’t require it, he said.
Nationwide, only three states allow residents to carry a concealed weapon without a permit: Alaska, Arizona and Vermont.
The Associated Press
***************************************************
NH House speaker supports gun legislation, despite others’ concerns
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer
CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, personally signed onto legislation that would make New Hampshire the fourth state to allow concealed guns to be carried without a permit.
But law enforcement leaders, gun victims and some gun owner rights leaders from differing perspectives criticized the plan across the spectrum.
Some attacked it as either a too open-ended policy that threatens public safety while other Second Amendment defenders said it does not deliver enough freedom for the right to bear arms.
Rep. Jennifer Coffey, R-Andover, said her bill (HB 330) may need some tweaking but the current system of permits to carry conflict with individual rights under federal and state Constitutions.
“Like anything else we do, it’s rare a bill goes through without amendment. This can and will be worked out,” Coffee said during an interview after a 21⁄2 hour public hearing Thursday.
“We are not going to be first but we don’t want to be last.”
O’Brien signed on to an amended form of the bill that is in the House GOP agenda for 2011 and has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, and Majority Whip Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry.
Vermont, Alaska and Arizona all require no permits to carry concealed weapons. This bill also aims to let non-residents carry a concealed weapon without a permit if they are licensed to carry at home or come from a state without permits.
Sam Cohen is executive vice president and CEO of Pro Guns NH Inc., a group on which O’Brien sits as a board member. Former Senate Majority Leader Robert Clegg, of Hudson, is its president.
“New Hampshire should not be left in the cold when national reciprocity passes,” Cohen said.
But Salem Police Chief Paul Donovan, a life member of the National Rifle Association, said the current permits are not an obstruction to law-abiding citizens but a critical backstop for police.
“It protects the public for those who are not suitable for carrying a concealed handgun,” Donovan said. “Allowing anyone to carry concealed with no licensing requirement also leaves our local businesses open to increased risk of armed robbery.”
A permit-less state would be an enforcement nightmare for law enforcement especially in border towns that face threats from drug dealers and street gangs, Donovan warned.
“Are we going to see road rage incidents rise to assaults with a dangerous weapon?” Donovan asked.
“This bill may possibly work in northern towns, but it is a dangerous prospect for southern tier border towns where we have many out-of-state shoppers and visitors.”
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and State Police also opposed the measure.
Kate Harris, a child psychologist from Dover, said suicides by guns are epidemic in the U.S. and this bill would increase the risk of wanton street violence.
“Why do I care about this bill? Because I care about my family. I am a victim of gun violence. People don’t recover from gun violence; some people die,” Harris said. “My husband died in a shooting; two of us did not but the shooting will remain with us for the rest of our lives.”
The permits are estimated to raise $750,000 for the Fish and Game Department in 2012 and up to a quarter of that in cities and towns.
Claire Ebel, executive director of the Civil Liberties Union, said the loss of such revenue should give lawmakers pause and she claimed the bill is fatally flawed.
“HB 330 is a classic example of not ready for prime time. The language of the bill and existence of several amendments underscore the lack of readiness for this bill,” Ebel said.
The New Hampshire Firearms Coalition, a rival pro-Second Amendment group, opposes this bill and favors a wide-open alternative (HB 536) that Rep. J.R. Hoell, R-Dunbarton, authors and O’Brien opposes.
“While NHFC stands in strong, unwavering support of the principle that no person should be required to beg for government permission in order to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, this bill falls short of accomplishing that goal,” said NHFC President Jonathan Evans.
Rep. David Welch, R-Kingston, has spent a quarter century working on the state’s concealed permit law and agrees with O’Brien that it’s time to go.
“I believe law-abiding citizens are not a problem. I support constitutional carry,” Welch said.
“Whenever we deal with gun laws, you never can satisfy everyone. Something will pass; let’s make sure it is a good one.”
****************************************************
Wyoming House approves concealed carry bill
Wyoming moved a step closer on Friday to allowing people to carry concealed guns without a permit.
The Wyoming House of Representatives voted 49-9 for a bill that would allow law-abiding state citizens over age 21 to carry concealed guns in most places. They would still be banned in some places, including schools, bars and some government buildings.
The Senate already has approved the bill and it now goes to Republican Gov. Matt Mead.
A spokesman for Mead said Friday he couldn't say how the governor will act on the bill. In his election campaign last year, Mead emphasized his support of gun rights and his enjoyment of hunting and target-shooting.
If the bill becomes law, Wyoming would join Alaska, Arizona and Vermont as states that allow citizens to carry concealed guns without permits. Other state legislatures are considering similar measures.
Proponents of the Wyoming bill have emphasized that both the state and federal constitutions specify people have the right to carry guns.
Speaking after the House vote, Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper, said he believes the Legislature's passage of his bill carries a clear message from lawmakers and Wyoming citizens alike: "Quit taking away our constitutional rights."
"We kind of drew the line in the sand and said we're going to start here and start working back toward everybody having constitutional rights," Jennings said.
Wyoming would continue to issue concealed-carry permits if the bill becomes law so citizens could continue to have the ability to carry concealed weapons in other states that accept Wyoming's permit. In common with many other Western states, Wyoming doesn't require permits to carry guns openly.
Representatives from some Wyoming police groups have testified at committee hearings against allowing concealed carry without a permit. They've said it could encourage dangerous people to carry guns who wouldn't be able to pass a background check under the state's existing concealed-carry permit system.
Jennings said he's not concerned the bill will lead to an increase in crime.
"The people of Wyoming are responsible enough to know what a gun is," Jennings said. "We've got several decades of hunter-safety training in the state. We are a gun culture. So, if there is a law that takes guns away from people, it doesn't take them away from the criminals. You can be real stringent with it, and the outlaws and people who shouldn't have guns are still going to have them."
Rep. James Byrd, D-Cheyenne, spoke against the bill on the House floor.
"I can't think of anything positive that will come out of this for the state, other than that vocal minority that thinks everybody should carry firearms unrestricted will be happy," Byrd said after the vote. "But in essence, it's really a bad public policy move for the state of Wyoming."
A push to enact a similar bill failed in the last legislative session. It passed the House but died in the Senate.
Asked why he believes the bill passed this time, Byrd responded, "To be honest with you, I think it's some of the newly elected people who are running on this platform of removing all government regulation regardless of the impacts on society. And so I guess, staying consistent with that position, this is just an outcome of those views."
Hint hint Indiana!
kevin1