HIGHLAND, UT | 17 April 2008 | Does a person’s right to keep and bear arms stop at the border of the state he lives in? Or is the 2nd Amendment valid for the entire nation? Current firearms laws vary from state to state. Some states have reciprocity agreements with other states while others refuse any sort of exchange between states, demanding that arms carriers certify specifically in that state in order to carry there. A current bill in the House of Representatives seeks to simplify the rules by allowing anyone with a valid concealed-carry permit in any state carry in any other state, provided that individual obeys the laws of the state he is carrying in, Thomas Burr reported in an anti-gun-slanted story in the Salt Lake Tribune on April 16.

Key Points

• The Founders viewed the right to keep and bear arms as fundamental to maintaining all other rights. Richard Henry Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Constitutional Convention delegate from Virginia explained, “To preserve liberty, that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them”  (as quoted in Skousen’s Making of America, p. 695).
• Skousen further explained, “…In nations where political leaders want to curtail the rights of the people and take away their property and freedom, they always begin by trying to disarm them. This is usually done by first requiring them to register their firearms (p. 694).
• The SAFE Act of 2008 would limit that “registration” to just one state, but would allow the arms keeper to carry throughout the country.
• There are usually separate laws regulating open carry versus concealed carry. In some states less regulation infringes open carry.
• The SAFE Act would make it easier for an individual to use his agency to protect his stewardships (his life, liberty and property).
• The Act is currently in the hands of the House Judiciary Committee. Burr reports, “It’s unclear if it will get a hearing.” He further expalained that the bill would face much opposition in its path to being passed.

Conclusion

The Second Amendment protects the individual’s right to self-protection by prohibiting the infringement of the right of the people to keep and bear arms. The Founders considered this right one of the greatest of the inalienable rights. Over the last 220 years governing bodies have done much to erode and nearly eliminate this right altogether. In history, dating at least as far back as A.D. 872 societies have gone as far as to force their citizens to arm themselves, punishing them with fines and sometimes lending them the money to purchase the arms. This carried into the British colonies we now call the united States of America. Today, however, keeping and bearing arms is treated almost as a criminal act. Government agencies would have arms carriers register, certify, and conceal their weapons. Carriers walk around town with their dirty little secret they feel they can’t let anyone know about. This is considered infringement in every sense of the word, to say nothing about such a person traveling out of state. However, the Secure Access to Firearms enhancement Act of 2008 would loosen some of that infringement.

Action Items

1. Review Rick Koerber’s 2nd Amendment article from March 17, 2008 on FreeCapitalist Daily.
2. Become acquainted with current laws in your state and the states you frequently travel to and through, especially if you plan on carrying a firearm in that state.
3. Study the SAFE Act (H.R. 5782).
4. Study Principle 75 in The Making of America (p. 360) regarding the process of passing a bill through Congress. Communicate with your Representative your viewpoint regarding the SAFE Act.
5. Attend a gun show.
6. Consider acting your own right to keep and bear arms.

MRFC Principles:  13 (3, 4, 13)

Resources

Thomas Burr. Packin’ heat: Bill aims to honor concealed weapons permits nationwide. Salt Lake Tribune. April 16, 2008

Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2008 (HR 5782), Library of Congress online

Rick Koerber, Supreme Court to Decide on a Citizen’s 2nd Amendment “Right to Bear Arms.” First Case to be Heard by Court since 1939. FreeCapitalist Daily. March 17, 2008.

W. Cleon Skousen. The Making of America. NCCS. 1985