Previous efforts to clarify, simplify, and expand nationally the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms have failed. But HR 9534, the National Constitution Enforcement Act, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in September, has a strong chance of passing thanks to the trifecta of Republican victories earlier this month.
The five-page bill claims that gun owners should be able to move freely over land without worrying about or getting caught up in the myriad laws states have enacted under the guise of public safety. It includes Heller (affirming the “individual right to keep and bear arms”), McDonald (recognizing the application of the Second Amendment to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment), and Bruen (recognizing the Second Amendment to the Constitution). This refers to the affirmation of only the “unqualified order” in Article 1). authorized violations “consistent with the historical tradition of firearms regulation in this country”).
The language amending 18 U.S.C. 927 is clear.
Any state or political subdivision of a state shall be prohibited from carrying firearms in public (including by imposing financial or other barriers to entry) by residents or non-residents of that state. ) may not be subject to criminal or civil penalties or indirectly prevented. Eligible to possess a firearm under state and federal law in the United States and elsewhere.
And it would nullify the enforcement of these illegal laws.
Any law, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of a State or political subdivision of a State that criminalizes, penalizes, or indirectly prevents the carrying of firearms in public by any person ( (including imposing financial or other barriers to entry). It shall have no force or effect upon any resident or nonresident who is a citizen of the United States or otherwise eligible to possess a firearm under state and federal law.
“I think it’s a good thing,” said Massey, who lives in a state that supports the Second Amendment.
I am fortunate to live in a state where people can freely exercise their right to keep and bear arms without having to beg the government or pay a fee.
Unfortunately, some states and local governments violate this right through a variety of criminal, civil, and regulatory penalties, making it difficult for all Americans to enjoy the same right to carry firearms in public. Not that there are.
By prohibiting state or local restrictions on the right to bear arms, HR 9534 upholds the original purpose of the Second Amendment to ensure the security of a free nation while protecting individual liberty from government encroachment. I will.
Hunter King, director of communications for the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), said of Massey's bill:
Currently, 29 states have adopted constitutional carry laws, but contrary to the warnings of gun control advocates, there is no evidence of an epidemic of violence or a “Wild West” scenario. Rather, crime rates are stable or showing a decline.
In fact, a study in Ohio showed that gun-related crimes decreased in six cities after adopting constitutional carry. However, states that have passed and enforced strict right-to-carry laws, such as California and Illinois, still face alarming levels of gun violence, making it clear that such laws Claims that the law actually reduces violent crime have disappeared.
Patrick Parsons, a spokesperson for the American Firearms Association (AFA), confirmed this.
For the past 15 years, anti-gun liberals have been telling everyone that states that pass the Constitution will be hit with violence not seen since the days of the Wild West.
While gun control strongholds like Washington, D.C., Chicago and California are descending into violence and deadly chaos, 29 states are proving them wrong.
Increased chance of passage
During President Trump's first term, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act by a vote of 231-198, and the bill was partially successful. However, it stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
In January 2023, Congressman Richard Hudson (R.N.C.) reintroduced the bill, but it remains stalled in the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee.
President Trump's second term will change things, making the Massey bill much more likely to pass. But anti-gun polls, the media, and nonprofits like Everytown for Gun Safety will work to derail the bill's momentum. Cities have already declared that states' rights will be violated. The spokesperson said states “need to determine which out-of-state residents may carry concealed handguns within their borders.”
Shaneen Allen was one of the out-of-state players that New Jersey slipped through the cracks. While driving from Philadelphia to Atlantic City in 2013, Allen was stopped for a minor traffic violation. After disclosing that she was in possession of a firearm, she was immediately arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm under New Jersey law, which is in conflict with Pennsylvania's concealed carry law. be. She could face up to five years in prison.
Following her conviction, then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (Republican) pardoned the single mother of two. But the lack of reciprocity cost her thousands of dollars in legal fees and 18 months of uncertainty.
As pointed out by the Firearms Industry Trade Association (NSSF, formerly the National Shooting Sports Foundation), the current “inconsistent combination of state and local laws makes it difficult for firearm owners to travel across state lines.” There is a confusing patchwork of changing rules.”
The NSSF added that the National Reciprocity Bill “does not preempt the power of state governments to legislate the carrying and use of permits within their states.”
Related articles:
Philadelphia mother faces jury trial on gun possession charges in New Jersey
