Wednesday, November 16, 2011

House Passes National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity bill.

H.R. Passed in house by a vote of 272-154.

Now the bill goes to the senate, where the chances of it passing, in my opinion, are slim.  Slimmer still is the chance that the President signs it into law.

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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

National Right to Carry

So the house is voting on H.R. 822, which is the national reciprocity law.


There are arguments, even among those that support right to carry against this law.  Personally, I think it would be nice to be able to carry anywhere that issues a carry permit, or has a law that allows concealed carry.  However, my concern would be for places like California, which issues permit on a "may issue" basis, rather a very restrictive "may issue" basis.  I am concerned that should this pass, California, and states like California, may repeal any law allowing concealed carry so that they don't have to recognize other state's permits. 

In any case, I think it is a long shot that this law gets through the senate or passed the President's desk

Here is the text of the law:


112TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 822

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a national standard

in accordance with which nonresidents of a State may carry concealed
firearms in the State.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 18, 2011
Mr. STEARNS (for himself and Mr. SHULER) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a national

standard in accordance with which nonresidents of a
State may carry concealed firearms in the State.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The Second Amendment to the Constitution
of the United States protects the fundamental right
of an individual to keep and bear arms, including for
purposes of individual self-defense.
(2) The Supreme Court of the United States
has recognized this right in the case of District of
Columbia v. Heller, and in the case of McDonald v.
City of Chicago, has recognized that the right is protected against State infringement by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
(3) The Congress has the power to pass legislation to protect against infringement of all rights protected under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
(4) The right to bear arms includes the right to
carry arms for self-defense and the defense of others.
(5) The Congress has enacted legislation of national scope authorizing the carrying of concealed firearms by qualified active and retired law enforcement officers.
(6) Forty-eight States provide by statute for the issuance to individuals of permits to carry concealed firearms, or allow the carrying of concealed firearms for lawful purposes without the need for a permit.
(7) The overwhelming majority of individuals who exercise the right to carry firearms in their own States and other States have proven to be law-abiding, and such carrying has been demonstrated to provide crime prevention or crime resistance benefits for the licensees and for others.
(8) The Congress finds that preventing the lawful carrying of firearms by individuals who are traveling outside their home State interferes with the constitutional right of interstate travel, and harms interstate commerce.
(9) Among the purposes of this Act is the protection of the rights, privileges, and immunities guaranteed to a citizen of the United States by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
(10) The Congress, therefore, should provide for national recognition, in States that issue to their own citizens licenses or permits to carry concealed handguns, of other State permits or licenses to carry concealed handguns.

SEC. 3. RECIPROCITY FOR THE CARRYING OF CERTAIN CONCEALED FIREARMS.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 44 of title 18, UnitedStates Code, is amended by inserting after section 926C the following:
‘‘§ 926D. Reciprocity for the carrying of certain con7
cealed firearms
‘‘(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the law of any State or political subdivision thereof, related to the car10
rying or transportation of firearms, a person who is not prohibited by Federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid license or permit which is issued pursuant to the law of a State and which permits the person to carry a concealed firearm, may carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun or destructive device) that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, in any State, other than the State of residence of the person, that—
‘‘(1) has a statute that allows residents of the State to obtain licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms; or
‘‘(2) does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms by residents of the State for lawful pur26
poses.
‘‘(b) A person carrying a concealed handgun under this section shall be permitted to carry a handgun subject to the same conditions or limitations that apply to residents of the State who have permits issued by the State or are otherwise lawfully allowed to do so by the State.
‘‘(c) In a State that allows the issuing authority for licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms to impose restrictions on the carrying of firearms by individual holders of such licenses or permits, a firearm shall be carried according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license or permit issued to a resident of the State.
‘‘(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to pre-empt any provision of State law with respect to the issuance of licenses or permits to carry concealed fire
arms.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections for such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 926C the following:
‘‘926D. Reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms.’’.
(c) SEVERABILITY.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, if any provision of this section, or any amendment made by this section, or the application of such provision or amendment to any person or circumstance is held to be unconstitutional, this section and amendments made by this section and the application of such provision or amendment to other persons or cir2
cumstances shall not be affected thereby.
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.


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Friday, November 11, 2011

Friday, November 4, 2011

Sheriff encourages women to get CCW to protect against rapists.

 Original Link

In light of an attempted rape of a woman at Milliken Park on Sunday, Sheriff Chuck Wright encouraged women to get concealed weapons permits.

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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

What is bullet energy?

A lot of talk when comparing calibers often revolves around bullet energy.  While some argue that you need a larger round to be effective, in terms of energy, velocity counts exponentially more than mass.  The formula:

E=1/2(mv^2)  Shows the relationship between mass and velocity.  You can see that a gain in velocity will produce a much larger gain in energy than a proportionately larger round. 

For example, a 230 Grain .45 ACP traveling at 900 fps has 414 ft/lbs of energy.  While a 146 Grain 9mm traveling at 1210 fps has 474 ft/lbs of energy. 

If you really want a round that produces a large amount of energy, a 200 Grain 10mm traveling at 1300 fps, has 750 ft/lbs of energy. 



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Monday, October 10, 2011

Philadelphia Police confront open carrier at gunpoint.

I don't open carry, but I live in a shall issue state.  So I can understand why someone would in a state where it is very difficult to get a CCW. 

Pennsylvania is a shall-issue state.  So unless there is some delay or problem with getting your concealed permit, I can't justify open carrying.  In my opinion, there are no advantages to carrying openly when carrying concealed is an option.

Law Enforcement Officers have a very difficult job, and I appreciate their service.  Unfortunately there are a few that can give the rest a bad image.




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The never-dying argument.....what caliber is best?

There is one argument that never ceases to poke it's head in the world of concealed carry: which caliber is best?

While there are more opinions on this than almost any other aspect of firearms, I view the theory that there is an "ultimate caliber" or "best caliber" as largely irrelevant.  I prefer to think in terms of most effective.

My general rule is: Carry the most effective firearm possible.

If I could walk around with an assault rifle slung across my back and a Ma Deuce in the trunk of my car "just in case" I probably would.  However, that's not socially acceptable.  (And frankly carrying a rifle everywhere gets old very quickly.)  So for most of us that means carrying a handgun.  We are then left to determine, which handgun is most effective.

Many will try to make the argument that the largest caliber you can carry is the most effective, however this analysis is short sighted.  While the .45 ACP is a larger, more powerful round than a 9mm, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is more effective.  When you choose a handgun you have to consider more than just the ballistics of the calibers in question.  A .45 will have better stopping power than a 9mm, but you have fewer rounds at your disposal.  In any kind of life or death engagement, you are going to go to slide lock a lot quicker than you think.  So, which is more effective?  Well... stopping power and capacity aren't the only elements to consider. 

What about accuracy? 
Accuracy of a round depends on a lot of factors.  While some calibers may fly flatter and faster than others, and therefore have less bullet drop at longer distances, most self defense shootings occur at ranges inside 7yds.  So the accuracy of the round doesn't matter as much.  What matters with accuracy is how well you can shoot that caliber in a specific firearm.  The simple truth is that placement will trump power every time.  If you can't shoot a .45 accurately, you shouldn't be carrying a .45.  The same logic goes for 9mm.  Recoil recovery comes into play when you are making follow up shots, and logically it is going to take someone longer to make an accurate follow up shot with a larger caliber handgun.  In addition, not all 9mm firearms shoot the same.  Not everyone will be accurate with the same firearm.  For example, the trigger pull on a Smith and Wesson 637 has a relatively long smooth trigger pull, which I find rather easy to shoot well.  However, if you are a woman, or a girly-man, with dainty hands, you may find the double action trigger pull is too heavy for you to shoot accurately.

You also need to consider what gun is most comfortable to carry on a daily basis.  While John had a post a while ago about how none are really that comfortable, some are definitely easier to carry than others.  And you, like me, might end up changing your carry gun to fit what you are wearing. 

In conclusion,  most effective doesn't really mean caliber. It is more about the total package, not just of the firearm, but of you employing that firearm.

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Why you need a lawyer.

This is not to criticize police officers, they have a difficult and necessary job, this is only to show the necessity of remaining silent.


Part 1 is from the perspective of an attorney:





Part 2 is from the perspective of a police officer:

Utah State Gun?

The Utah House just voted to make the Browning 1911 the official state gun.  Considering how important the 1911 has been in our history, I think it is a great idea. 

Deseret News article


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