Momentum For Concealed Carry Growing Nationwide
-- Alaska becomes the next state to adopt Vermont-style carry!
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
(Friday, June 27, 2003) -- Gun control proponents are continuing to
lose key battles across the country, as citizens in a growing number
of states can now carry firearms concealed.
The most significant victory occurred recently in the Land of the
Midnight Sun, where citizens don't need concealed carry permits
anymore.
Alaska's governor signed a bill this month modeled after the famous
Vermont law, which allows citizens to carry firearms concealed
without first getting screened or fingerprinted.
No fees. No waiting periods. No invasive background checks. No
requirement to be fingerprinted like common sex offenders.
Citizens can now carry freely in most places in Alaska without first
getting a state-issued permit.
GOA Involved In Pushing Vermont-Style Carry
Several gun rights groups helped push the bill into law, including
Gun Owners of America, which mobilized its members on two occasions
during the bill's journey toward becoming law.
The bill had 33 co-sponsors (from both chambers) and passed on a
veto-proof vote of 28 to 12 in the House and 12 to 8 in the Senate.
Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski (R) had no real choice but to sign
the bill or face an embarrassing veto override vote during the next
legislative session.
Alaska's carry law is by far the best one to emerge out of a state
legislature this year. Four other state legislatures have recently
passed concealed carry laws, although final action is still pending
in two of them.
Based on information found at the Packing.org website, there are now
35 states which are either shall-issue states or free carry states,
like Vermont and Alaska.
(A "shall-issue" state refers to a state where citizens desiring to
carry concealed MUST be issued permits if they pass background
checks showing they are not criminals. These laws represent an
improvement over laws that give public officials discretion to deny
honest citizens their rights without cause. Even so, many of these
shall-issue states still impose very burdensome requirements such as
mandatory training, mandatory fingerprinting, and No Safety Zones.)
Bill Would Grant Full Benefits To Alaskans And Vermonters
Alaska's new law gives impetus to passing real reciprocity
legislation at the federal level.
Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) is the sponsor of H.R. 990, a bill which
protects the right of citizens to carry their firearms into other
states. His bill currently has 46 cosponsors.
Hostettler's bill has a huge advantage over other reciprocity bills
in that it does not punish states for being too pro-gun. His bill
would not punish citizens from states like Alaska and Vermont,
because his proposal doesn't require a citizen to first get a permit
to enjoy reciprocity in another state.
It's interesting to note that even while Alaska was moving towards
Vermont-style freedom, officials in the state felt it was important
to keep the existing permit system in place. The twist is that
Alaskans are no longer *required* to get the permit to carry.
The governor's office told the Anchorage Daily News that some
citizens might still choose to get a permit so they can carry
firearms in other states.
And this highlights the problems with some federal bills that will
ONLY establish reciprocity between gun control states. These bills
force people to jump through officially-mandated hurdles and get
carry permits before they can carry firearms into neighboring
states.
H.R. 990 Is Vermont-Friendly
By contrast, H.R. 990 would allow law-abiding citizens who can
legally carry in their home state -- even without a permit -- to
carry all across the country.
Hostettler's bill essentially treats concealed carry permits similar
to driver's licenses -- and citizens from Vermont and Alaska will be
able to carry concealed without a permit.
Assumably, a driver's license would be enough for those citizens to
show they are eligible to carry -- the benefit being that such gun
owners would only be registered as car owners, not gun owners.
Hostettler's bill will also accommodate other states, as they move
towards adopting real concealed carry laws. Vermont and Alaska now
have the best carry laws in the country... 2 down, 48 to go.
ACTION: Please ask your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 990, the
Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2003. This
Hostettler bill will guarantee Americans the ability to carry
firearms from one state into the next. You can visit the Gun Owners
Legislative Action Center at
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/bills/?billnum=H.R.990&congress=108&size=full
to see if your Representative is currently a cosponsor and to send
him or her a pre-written e-mail message if not. (The Take Action
Now feature at the above URL will help you automatically send the
message, but it is reproduced below for your convenience.)
------ Pre-written message ------
Dear Representative:
I hope that you will cosponsor H.R. 990, the Secure Access to
Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2003.
Murder rates have been falling across the country in recent years,
as more and more states are making it easier for citizens to carry
firearms.
This should come as no surprise since studies show that guns in good
people's hands are a deterrent to criminals and, ultimately, save
lives.
There are now 35 states which make it relatively easy for their
citizens to carry firearms. Most notably, Alaska just recently
amended its laws to allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms
without a permit, and, in doing so, has put criminals on notice that
they face a dangerous existence in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
H.R. 990 will allow citizens who are authorized to carry in their
home states to travel safely into other states. We desperately need
a law like this, since the right to keep and bear arms should not
end at one's state border.
Again, I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 990. Please let me know what
you intend to do. Thank you.
Sincerely,
-- Alaska becomes the next state to adopt Vermont-style carry!
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
(Friday, June 27, 2003) -- Gun control proponents are continuing to
lose key battles across the country, as citizens in a growing number
of states can now carry firearms concealed.
The most significant victory occurred recently in the Land of the
Midnight Sun, where citizens don't need concealed carry permits
anymore.
Alaska's governor signed a bill this month modeled after the famous
Vermont law, which allows citizens to carry firearms concealed
without first getting screened or fingerprinted.
No fees. No waiting periods. No invasive background checks. No
requirement to be fingerprinted like common sex offenders.
Citizens can now carry freely in most places in Alaska without first
getting a state-issued permit.
GOA Involved In Pushing Vermont-Style Carry
Several gun rights groups helped push the bill into law, including
Gun Owners of America, which mobilized its members on two occasions
during the bill's journey toward becoming law.
The bill had 33 co-sponsors (from both chambers) and passed on a
veto-proof vote of 28 to 12 in the House and 12 to 8 in the Senate.
Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski (R) had no real choice but to sign
the bill or face an embarrassing veto override vote during the next
legislative session.
Alaska's carry law is by far the best one to emerge out of a state
legislature this year. Four other state legislatures have recently
passed concealed carry laws, although final action is still pending
in two of them.
Based on information found at the Packing.org website, there are now
35 states which are either shall-issue states or free carry states,
like Vermont and Alaska.
(A "shall-issue" state refers to a state where citizens desiring to
carry concealed MUST be issued permits if they pass background
checks showing they are not criminals. These laws represent an
improvement over laws that give public officials discretion to deny
honest citizens their rights without cause. Even so, many of these
shall-issue states still impose very burdensome requirements such as
mandatory training, mandatory fingerprinting, and No Safety Zones.)
Bill Would Grant Full Benefits To Alaskans And Vermonters
Alaska's new law gives impetus to passing real reciprocity
legislation at the federal level.
Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) is the sponsor of H.R. 990, a bill which
protects the right of citizens to carry their firearms into other
states. His bill currently has 46 cosponsors.
Hostettler's bill has a huge advantage over other reciprocity bills
in that it does not punish states for being too pro-gun. His bill
would not punish citizens from states like Alaska and Vermont,
because his proposal doesn't require a citizen to first get a permit
to enjoy reciprocity in another state.
It's interesting to note that even while Alaska was moving towards
Vermont-style freedom, officials in the state felt it was important
to keep the existing permit system in place. The twist is that
Alaskans are no longer *required* to get the permit to carry.
The governor's office told the Anchorage Daily News that some
citizens might still choose to get a permit so they can carry
firearms in other states.
And this highlights the problems with some federal bills that will
ONLY establish reciprocity between gun control states. These bills
force people to jump through officially-mandated hurdles and get
carry permits before they can carry firearms into neighboring
states.
H.R. 990 Is Vermont-Friendly
By contrast, H.R. 990 would allow law-abiding citizens who can
legally carry in their home state -- even without a permit -- to
carry all across the country.
Hostettler's bill essentially treats concealed carry permits similar
to driver's licenses -- and citizens from Vermont and Alaska will be
able to carry concealed without a permit.
Assumably, a driver's license would be enough for those citizens to
show they are eligible to carry -- the benefit being that such gun
owners would only be registered as car owners, not gun owners.
Hostettler's bill will also accommodate other states, as they move
towards adopting real concealed carry laws. Vermont and Alaska now
have the best carry laws in the country... 2 down, 48 to go.
ACTION: Please ask your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 990, the
Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2003. This
Hostettler bill will guarantee Americans the ability to carry
firearms from one state into the next. You can visit the Gun Owners
Legislative Action Center at
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/bills/?billnum=H.R.990&congress=108&size=full
to see if your Representative is currently a cosponsor and to send
him or her a pre-written e-mail message if not. (The Take Action
Now feature at the above URL will help you automatically send the
message, but it is reproduced below for your convenience.)
------ Pre-written message ------
Dear Representative:
I hope that you will cosponsor H.R. 990, the Secure Access to
Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2003.
Murder rates have been falling across the country in recent years,
as more and more states are making it easier for citizens to carry
firearms.
This should come as no surprise since studies show that guns in good
people's hands are a deterrent to criminals and, ultimately, save
lives.
There are now 35 states which make it relatively easy for their
citizens to carry firearms. Most notably, Alaska just recently
amended its laws to allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms
without a permit, and, in doing so, has put criminals on notice that
they face a dangerous existence in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
H.R. 990 will allow citizens who are authorized to carry in their
home states to travel safely into other states. We desperately need
a law like this, since the right to keep and bear arms should not
end at one's state border.
Again, I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 990. Please let me know what
you intend to do. Thank you.
Sincerely,