Trump Almost Got It Right on Guns. Almost.

 

Donald Trump was asked a question about guns during Wednesday’s Republican Presidential debate, and he almost said the right thing.

When asked if he would feel comfortable in his casinos (many of which are “gun free zones”) if his employees and customers were allowed to legally carry a firearm onto the premises.

His response was, “I have a permit, which is very unusual in New York. It’s a permit to carry. I carry on occasion, sometimes a lot. I like to be unpredictable.”

When he said “I have a permit, which is very unusual in New York,” he should have followed that with, “… but it shouldn’t be. It should be as easy to get a permit in New York as it is in most every other state in the union, where you don’t need to be as important or as yuge as I am to get permission from the government to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones. There is no other amendment to the Constitution that requires a permit to practice, and that’s got to change. What also needs to change is the rules about where my permit is good in the United States. People who come to New York who have valid carry permit from other states shouldn’t have to disarm themselves at the state line. New York recognizes the driver’s licenses and marriage licenses from every other state, it’s high time that New York and every other state recognizes each other’s concealed carry permits, and we let responsible citizens move freely across this great land.”

Trump might have said that, but he didn’t, because he hasn’t taken the time to figure out what gun owners actually want. We don’t want you to pose on a range with an AR-15 and the tax code, we want you to tell us how you’re going to prosecute the agents behind Fast and Furious and Operation Chokepoint. We don’t want pictures of you with a bad grip on a pistol, we want your vision for sea-to-sea concealed carry reciprocity. We don’t want you to shoot tighter groups, we want you to start to shrink government.

Photo ops are cheap. Even Obama does them. You’re the GOP. You can do better.

Published in Guns
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  1. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    Kevin Creighton: There is no other amendment to the Constitution that requires a permit to practice, and that’s got to change. What also needs to change is the rules about where my permit is good in the United States. People who come to New York who have valid carry permit from other states shouldn’t have to disarm themselves at the state line.

    Which, if any, of these candidates do you think might be open to proposing and advocating legislation that would reassert these Constitutional freedoms?

    Because I’d be surprised if even Ted Cruz ever made it a priority, and he’s a Texan.

    • #1
  2. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    As romantic and positive as the idea of national reciprocity sounds doesn’t it trample on the 10th Amendment?

    I think your idea about why you need a permit to carry a gun is a good one and that seems a proper extension of the 2nd by the federal. Do away with any firearm permit of any kind.

    I think Trump’s plan to force national reciprocity via the federal government if we accept the premise of firearms permits is a bad one and just grows federal governments tentacles into state matters.

    • #2
  3. Marion Evans Inactive
    Marion Evans
    @MarionEvans

    I am for the second amendment but I haven’t made the brain jump yet to the right to carry in the middle of Manhattan. No need to go from one extreme to another overnight.

    • #3
  4. Kevin Creighton Contributor
    Kevin Creighton
    @KevinCreighton

    National concealed carry reciprocity won’t trample on the 10th Amendment, thanks to the “Full Faith and Credit” clause. Every state would be free to set their own training standards, just like the driver’s license requirements differs from state to state, but that license is valid in each state.

    • #4
  5. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    BrentB67: As romantic and positive as the idea of national reciprocity sounds doesn’t it trample on the 10th Amendment?

    Yes and no. Compare it to other rights, like the freedom of speech/press/religion/organization (yes, that is a single freedom in the Constitution, not a list of separate rights). Core aspects of that liberty are guaranteed under the Constitution to all citizens, but individual states may codify limits and exceptions beyond that core understanding. Likewise, various aspects of voting rights are assured by federal protection, but states are free to establish additional rules which do not interfere.

    Here on Ricochet, we might debate which aspects of gun ownership and use are protected under the Constitution and which may reasonably be afforded to state discretion. But on the national soundstage, Republicans should probably avoid that discussion for the time being, lest Democrats misrepresent those comments as implicit approval of the status quo.

    Concealed carry should be a national right. But there is probably reasonable justification for deviations beyond its core aspects.

    • #5
  6. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    Kevin Creighton:National concealed carry reciprocity won’t trample on the 10th Amendment, thanks to the “Full Faith and Credit” clause. Every state would be free to set their own training standards, just like the driver’s license requirements differs from state to state, but that license is valid in each state.

    Is the reciprocity for drivers licenses federally mandated?

    • #6
  7. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    BrentB67:

    Kevin Creighton:National concealed carry reciprocity won’t trample on the 10th Amendment, thanks to the “Full Faith and Credit” clause. Every state would be free to set their own training standards, just like the driver’s license requirements differs from state to state, but that license is valid in each state.

    Is the reciprocity for drivers licenses federally mandated?

    I seem to recall that it’s an agreement among the states, rather than being mandated by the federal government.

    • #7
  8. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    Randy Weivoda:

    BrentB67:

    Kevin Creighton:National concealed carry reciprocity won’t trample on the 10th Amendment, thanks to the “Full Faith and Credit” clause. Every state would be free to set their own training standards, just like the driver’s license requirements differs from state to state, but that license is valid in each state.

    Is the reciprocity for drivers licenses federally mandated?

    I seem to recall that it’s an agreement among the states, rather than being mandated by the federal government.

    That is how it was/is constructed. I am not that familiar with its contemporary implementation.

    One are I think Trump gets wrong in his 2A plan is adding another federal mandate to create reciprocity among states if CHL is the way to go.

    • #8
  9. Eugene Kriegsmann Member
    Eugene Kriegsmann
    @EugeneKriegsmann

    I suspect that Trump’s permit has as much credibility as Clinton’s leather Life Member jacket from the NRA.

    Getting a permit and maintaining it in New York City is extremely difficult and expensive. It is, to a large extent, the privilege of those who can afford someone to protect them. Trump, as usual, demonstrates his inability to relate to average Americans and his need to lord it over the rest of us because he is so rich and cool.

    • #9
  10. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    Eugene Kriegsmann:I suspect that Trump’s permit has as much credibility as Clinton’s leather Life Member jacket from the NRA.

    Getting a permit and maintaining it in New York City is extremely difficult and expensive. It is, to a large extent, the privilege of those who can afford someone to protect them. Trump, as usual, demonstrates his inability to relate to average Americans and his need to lord it over the rest of us because he is so rich and cool.

    I am under the impression that you cannot get one unless you have political connections.  So if you’re a small-time shopkeeper in a rough neighborhood and you are worried about being robbed, you can take your chances and go unarmed, or you can take your chances of being arrested and carry illegally.

    I know there are a lot of fans on Ricochet of NYC’s stop-and-frisk program because they believe that only criminals would carry a gun in NYC.  On those rare occasions when the cops guess correctly and the person they are frisking is actually carrying, I wonder how many are genuine criminals, and how many are otherwise law-abiding citizens who have a legitimate reason to worry about their safety but cannot get a permit because they lack friends in high places.

    • #10
  11. Kevin Creighton Contributor
    Kevin Creighton
    @KevinCreighton

    Randy Weivoda: I am under the impression that you cannot get one unless you have political connections.  So if you’re a small-time shopkeeper in a rough neighborhood and you are worried about being robbed, you can take your chances and go unarmed, or you can take your chances of being arrested and carry illegally.

    Yes, and believe me, that was fingernails on a chalkboard to those of us concerned with gun rights, as it brought out the innate inequality of “may issue” states like New York, California and New Jersey. “May Issue” is leftover from the days when it was in the best interests of the (Democratic) powers that be to insure there were no firearms in the hands of recently-freed slaves.

    Somethings never change.

    • #11
  12. Mark Wilson Inactive
    Mark Wilson
    @MarkWilson

    I’m strongly pro-gun rights and pro-concealed carry.  But I also believe there are some situations where a general right to carry a gun does not mix well with the people and activities taking place.  A casino is one example, because it involves huge numbers of tired, drunk people playing high-stakes games with real money, both against each other and against the house.  Some ruining their lives, others cheating or accusing their opponents of cheating, and all the while washing their inhibitions away with plentiful free alcohol (or illegal drugs).  And that’s not to mention the sexual undercurrents and all the conflict inherent to that.

    I think a casino might be one of the places where it is more prudent to ban the public from carrying guns, and instead have the owners assume responsibility for armed security.

    • #12
  13. Kevin Creighton Contributor
    Kevin Creighton
    @KevinCreighton

    Mark Wilson: I’m strongly pro-gun rights and pro-concealed carry.  But I also believe there are some situations where a general right to carry a gun does not mix well with the people and activities taking place.

    I’m perfectly OK with private businesses banning concealed carry on their premises. There are some places that should not allow guns, and those places should have some sort of means to prevent guns on-site such as metal detectors, and not just a “gun free zone” sign.

    However, states not allowing concealed carry, or making it impossible for regular schmoes to get a permit? That I’m not ok with.

    • #13
  14. Concretevol Thatcher
    Concretevol
    @Concretevol

    Marion Evans:I am for the second amendment but I haven’t made the brain jump yet to the right to carry in the middle of Manhattan. No need to go from one extreme to another overnight.

    If Manhattan isn’t the place you would want one I don’t know where is….

    • #14
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