Conceal Carry

Marines Firearm Policy Updated to Allow Concealed Carry for Self-Defense

USMC firearm policy has been updated to allow off-duty Marine Corps Law Enforcement professionals to carry concealed “privately owned firearms” while on base for self-defense. The change comes after the December 4, 2019, firearm-based attack at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and the December 6, 2019, firearm-based attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola. U.S. military personnel who were present during the shootings were defenseless due to gun-free policies that bar concealed carry on bases and installations for self-defense. Breitbart News reported witnesses of the Pensacola attack noted the attacker had 10 minutes without armed resistance in which to carry out his horrific work. On December 9, 2019, Breitbart News reported that installation commanders prevent troops from being armed on base for self-defense. Decision-making authority for on-base concealed carry shifted from the Secretary of Defense to installation commanders via Amendment S. 1536 in 2015, which passed as part of the “National Defense Authorization Act of 2016.” Yet installation commanders by-and-large stuck with the same gun-free policies. A USMC memo on concealed carry changes that by authorizing “active Marine Corps Law Enforcement (LE) professionals who possess valid Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA) 18 U.S.C. §926B credentials to carry concealed privately owned firearms (POF) aboard Marine Corps property in the United States and U.S. territories for personal protection not in the performance of official duties.” Although the USMC memo sets limitations as to where off-duty Marine LE professionals can carry for self-defense, this policy is a clear step forward in the effort to eliminate the soft-target attraction of military installations.

To be clear…  This only applies to Marine Law Enforcement (LE) officials.  But, kudos to the USMC for taking this baby step.  Hopefully the other services will follow suit and then expand to allow for all active duty, and reserve members of our armed forces be allowed to conceal carry while on military installations both domestically and abroad.  The current policy that forbids it is spectacularly stupid.

Permitless gun carry in Oklahoma takes effect

A “constitutional carry” gun law in Oklahoma took effect Friday. Also known as permitless carry, the law lets some Oklahomans carry a firearm in public without a license. Most Oklahomans 21 and older can now carry concealed or unconcealed firearms without having gone through a background check or training requirements, with exceptions for those illegally in the country or who have been convicted of certain crimes. Firearms are still prohibited in public buildings, bars, casinos and schools, and at professional sporting events. Oklahoma’s Supreme Court and a county judge this week rejected Oklahoma City Democratic Rep. Jason Lowe’s requests to hold off on the law. Lowe had introduced a petition in August following the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. The petition would have stopped the law from taking effect and made it a 2020 ballot question, had it been successful. The Oklahoma Second Amendment Association filed a protest against the petition that rendered its signatures invalid. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill into law in February. “As I traveled all over the state to all 77 counties, I heard from Oklahomans all over that they wanted us to protect their right to bear arms,” Stitt said at the time. There are at least 14 states that have some version of a permitless carry law, according to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Some other states that do this include, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Wyoming, Missouri, Alaska, Kansas, and North Dakota.  Congrats to the great state of Oklahoma for enacting this constitutionally-sound law, and joining these other states that are strong supporters of our Second Amendment rights!  Our founders would be proud!    🙂

Best states for concealed carry — ranked worst to first

Concealed carry regulations vary widely across the country. Guns & Ammo magazine looked at the most up-to-date laws in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, and ranked the states from worst to first. Criteria included ease of acquiring a concealed carry permit, costs associated with licensure, training hours required and reciprocity with other states. Click here to see the ranking.

Of course D.C. is at the bottom of the pile, and the People’s Republic of California is second from the bottom.  No surprises there.  But, Vermont beat out Texas in this survey.  So, I’d take this with a BIG grain of salt.  That said, click on the above to see where your state ranks, and why.

Interest in concealed carry permit training jumps 100 per cent after Parkland: ‘We’ve never seen a spike this big before’

The number of Americans interested in obtaining concealed carry permits to secretly bear arms in public has jumped dramatically since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February – with some states having seen as much as a 250 per cent increase in training requests for this type of permit. In the 50 days since the Parkland, Florida shooting, companies and networks of firearm instructors that provide training for the permits in dozens of states have seen enquiries spike. One company said it had even received more requests for training than after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. “There’s been a lot of shootings, unfortunately, in this country, but we’ve never seen a spike this big before, even with Newtown,” Chris Schultrop, the CEO and co-founder of Minnesota-based concealed permit training network National Carry Academy (NCA), which works across 27 states, told The Independent. The intensified interest comes as some Republicans in Washington are leading a push to pass a sweeping national concealed carry law that would force states to recognise all permits issued in the United States. That would mean states that do not allow concealed carry permits would have to allow people to use them. Meanwhile, teenage survivors of the Valentine’s Day Parkland shooting are leading a national movement pushing in the opposite direction; for stricter gun control laws. An analysis by NCA found that it had seen a 103.5 per cent increase in interest in it’s trainings in the month following the Parkland, Florida shooting in February, including a spike of as much as 283 per cent in Ohio. That’s similar to what other networks have experienced, like Concealed Carry Inc, which markets itself as the largest concealed carry training network in the United States and works across 28 states. Jacob Paulsen, a trainer with the network, said that it saw about a 250 per cent increase in interest over concealed carry in Florida alone, and at least a 100 per cent increase in its network as a whole. Mr Paulsen says the pattern repeats after each mass shooting that captures headlines in America. “Why is there an increase after these events? I think people are more proactive about being concerned for their own personal safety,” Mr Paulsen said…

Exactly!!   For more on this story, click on the text above…

Opinion/Analysis: Can teachers carry guns now? How ‘bout now?

Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida — a former student who was expelled for disciplinary reasons — was arrested for the shooting deaths of 17 students. The left likes to use these tragedies to sing a song of gun control. But they’re making the wrong case. What’s needed are more guns in the hands of the right people. What’s needed is a concerted and widespread push for teachers, staffers, administrators to be given the rubber-stamp approval to conceal-carry firearms on school grounds. Look at the alleged scenario of this latest tragedy. “Cruz, equipped with a gas mask, smoke grenades and multiple magazines of ammunition, opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 people and sending hundreds of students fleeing into the streets,” NBC wrote, citing police. Other media reports said he first pulled the fire alarm to pour students into the hallway and then, after shooting, that he tried to blend in with those fleeing into the streets. This fits with the police telling that they apprehended him at home, after viewing surveillance video. Now imagine the scenario where teachers at this school are armed — where administrators actually have guns at the ready — where it’s publicly known that staffers are maybe, maybe not carrying. It’s the last that’s key. Never mind how many staffers are actually armed. Fact is, a gunman suspecting resistance — fearing resistance — may not even carry out gunning plans. Just the knowledge that some may be carrying could defray killings. If Cruz thought a teacher or two were well-armed, would he have gone on his rampage in the first place? Mull this: “Guns Saving Lives: 12 Stories Cited by Second Amendment Advocates,” a headline from Newsmax in late 2017. Or this, from the Daily News in 2012: “Concealed weapons save lives.” Or this, from National Review in 2015: “Gun-Free Zones Don’t Save Lives — Right to Carry Laws Do.” Or this, from Gun Owners of America, way back in 2008: “Fact Sheet: Guns Save Lives: Section 8: Arm Yourself With The Facts.” That’s right — the facts. And the fact is: Metal doesn’t kill. Flesh does. And going after guns does nothing but give the criminals the upper hand. If we want to stop the senseless violence gripping America, the tragic incidents of death and mayhem at our schools, we have to address the root of this violence — the fact that our society is largely godless, morally drifting, wallowing in secularism, broken and damaged. Until then, let’s at least level the playing field and give administrators, teachers, staffers — those who’ve already been cleared to conceal carry — the ability to conceal carry in the classroom. It’s for the children.

Well said, Cheryl.  Cheryl Chumley is the author of that outstanding op/ed.  Excellent!!    🙂

National Reciprocity for Concealed Carry Passes House, Heads to Senate

On December 6 the House of Representatives passed national reciprocity for concealed carry after well over an hour of debate, including a 15 minute vote resulting from a last-ditch effort to recommit national reciprocity to committee. The effort to recommit to committee was a Democrat effort to derail the vote on national reciprocity. The vote to recommit failed by a margin of 236 to 190. The House then passed Rep. Richard Hudson’s (R-NC) national reciprocity legislation via a voice vote. Democrats then requested a recorded vote and the final tabulation on the recorded vote was 231 to 198. On December 4, Breitbart News reported that Hudson urged his colleagues to honor the 73 percent of Americans who support the passage of national reciprocity. Hudson predicted national reciprocity would receive a floor vote December 6, saying, “[The] 73 percent of Americans who want to see reciprocity are finally going to have their day on the House floor.” National reciprocity now moves to the Senate. If it passes there it will correct the cumbersome and often confusing patchwork of concealed carry laws that law-abiding Americans face as they traverse the U.S.

Agreed!!   🙂

Major concealed-carry bill picks up momentum, steams toward House floor

Gun-rights supporters are eyeing a big win this week as a bill that would make concealed-carry permits valid across state lines heads to the House floor — though it faces long odds in the Senate amid deep-pocketed opposition from gun-control advocates. “This is just simple, common-sense legislation that says if you’re a law-abiding citizen … we’re not going to turn you into a criminal just for crossing an invisible state line,” bill sponsor Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., told “Fox News @ Night.” Hudson says the bill simply attempts to clarify the patchwork of state laws that confuse citizens who can unwittingly get arrested when traveling from state to state. “All I’m saying is, when I cross the state line, I don’t want to automatically become a criminal,” he said. The three-term congressman also is quick to point out the measure does not attempt to usurp state and local authority with federal law, nor does it ease background checks on gun purchases. The bill has 213 cosponsors, including three Democrats, and backing from 24 state attorneys general. Hudson has tried for several years to get his Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act passed and scored a victory several days ago when it got through the House Judiciary Committee. The full House is set to vote on Wednesday.

D.C. Circuit lets stand concealed-carry ruling, cheering gun-rights activists

In a win for gun rights advocates, a federal appeals court on Thursday decided to let stand a ruling that found it is unconstitutional to require firearms owners prove a “good reason” in order to be permitted to carry a concealed handgun in the nation’s capital. The D.C. government had petitioned for the full D.C. Circuit to rehear the case en banc, but the court declined to revisit the 2-1 decision handed down earlier this year, noting that none of the 10 judges who considered the matter requested a vote on it. The decision leaves in place the D.C. Circuit’s prior ruling, which found that the city’s “good reason” requirement was unconstitutional. It also sets up the potential for the Supreme Court to take up the case, as the decision creates a split with other federal circuits that have found discretionary permitting schemes elsewhere are legal. “Sometimes the most important thing a court does is not do anything,” said Adam Winkler, a University of California at Los Angeles law professor who has written extensively on the Second Amendment. “Because of what the D.C. Circuit didn’t do today, the Supreme Court is now far more likely to take a concealed carry case.” D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said he was disappointed in Thursday’s decision, but it was not immediately apparent if his office would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. “As we review options for next steps in consultation with the mayor, the council and the Metropolitan Police Department, our primary concern will be ensuring public safety through reasonable gun laws,” Mr. Racine said. But the circuit split created by the D.C. ruling is the type of scenario gun rights activists have salivated over for years, with the hope that the Supreme Court would take up a case on concealed carry rights and rule to expand Second Amendment protections. Four other federal appeals courts have ruled in favor of similar restrictions elsewhere. The city’s law had required gun owners to prove they have a “good reason to fear injury” or another “proper reason,” such as a job that requires carrying large amounts of cash or valuables, in order to get a concealed carry permit. Under the city’s law, living in a high-crime neighborhood was not reason enough to justify approval of a concealed carry permit. Second Amendment advocates who brought the lawsuit said the city’s law was so restrictive that most law-abiding citizens would be unable to obtain permits. As of June, the Metropolitan Police Department reported having granted just 125 concealed carry permits. The city’s strict concealed carry laws have remained in effect while the D.C. Circuit was considering whether to rehear the case, so the ruling marks the first time the “good reason” requirements will be cast aside.

It’s about time!  Glad to see the D.C. Circuit slap the fascist, Democrat, D.C. city government’s unconstitutional “good reason” requirement down.  Outstanding!!    🙂

Armed Texan Intervenes, Stops Alleged Sexual Assault of Female Jogger

Court documents filed this week claim an armed good Samaritan intervened and stopped an alleged sexual assault after hearing a female runner scream. The incident occurred on a running trail near Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. According to the Austin American-Statesman, an affidavit claims the unidentified female was running around 5:46 a.m. when she began to hear loud steps closing in behind her. Suddenly, “the victim was grabbed behind by the suspect with both the suspect’s arms, (bear hug).” The victim said both she and the suspect fell to the ground “and she was on her back and the suspect was on top of her.” The woman said she tried to use a whistle to attract help but the suspect had her pinned down. Moreover, he placed his hand over her mouth to mute her screams. The suspect allegedly told the woman that he was “a virgin” as he assaulted her. At some point, the woman was able to scream and nearby armed jogger heard her. He ran toward the scream with his handgun and flashlight drawn and ordered the suspect to get off the woman. The attacker allegedly stood up “naked from the waist down” and took off running with the woman’s shoes and shorts. The partially naked woman walked toward the jogger who was holding the flashlight in hopes of finding protection. Three days later, police arrested 22-year-old Richard Jordon McEachern and accused him of perpetrating the assault. Police are also investigating whether McEachern may have been involved in a similar assault–carried out by grabbing another female jogger from behind–on August 22. On January 12, 2017, he New York Times editorial board wrote against expanding the opportunities for armed citizens to be armed for self-defense. The paper claimed, “The grim truth is that concealed-carry permit holders are rarely involved in stopping crime.”

Typical liberal factually inaccurate bs from the NY Times..  Whoever this “good Samaritan” was, he was definitely a hero.  And, his actions show the value in arming yourself.  If you don’t have a conceal carry permit yet, then get one.

‘This is war’: Florida sheriff urges citizens to arm themselves in case of attack

A Florida sheriff’s office posted a controversial message on social media, urging citizens to arm themselves in self-defense. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey posted the video on Facebook Wednesday, two days after a deadly workplace shooting in nearby Orlando claimed the lives of five people. “Folks, now more than ever is the time for our citizens to be prepared to serve as the first line of defense, not only for them, but for their families,” Sheriff Ivey said. As images of the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting and Pulse nightclub massacre flashed on-screen, Ivey warned residents that attacks have happened locally as well as abroad. “What’s next is to fully understand that this is war, and you better be prepared to wage war to protect you, your family, and those around you if attacked,” he said. Ivey stressed that attackers rely on people running, hiding, and waiting for help, rather than fighting back. “What they don’t count on is being attacked themselves, having to become defensive to save their own lives,” Ivey argued. The sheriff said that calling 911 means officers are on their way, but said, “Until they arrive, it’s up to you and those with you to neutralize or eliminate the threat.” Ivey encouraged people to take self-defense classes, and urged those with concealed weapons permits to carry their guns with them at all times. “No matter who you are or what your position is on guns, there’s no denying the fact that the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun or a knife is an armed and well-prepared citizen or law enforcement officer,” Ivey said. The sheriff’s message received a mixed response.

I’m sure..  But, Sheriff Ivey is exactly right!!  As a concealed carry person myself, I’m always armed.  And, it doesn’t hurt that I have many years of experience as a “field grade” Army officer, including time in Afghanistan, etc.  If you don’t have a concealed carry permit, consider getting one…as well as a concealed carry firearm.  Then, spend time on your local firing range.  Its a great hobby, and is something you do with your family and loved ones.  Kudos to Sheriff Ivey for having the courage in this day and age to put such a message out there.  Excellent!!    🙂