There are two petitions being prepared in the state of Maine to end the use of concealed weapons permits. And you know what? I’m all for them.
If that sounds a bit confusing, watch this.
I’ve been fairly vocal on my opposition of concealed carry permits in the past, and good on these folks from Maine who are trying to get their state to join the Constitutional Carry rank. For those of you keeping track, Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, Wyoming and (depending on who you ask) Arkansas are all Constitutional Carry states, meaning no permit is required to carry a gun, either openly or concealed.
This is, of course, how it should be. Permits in general, and specifically in the context of concealed carry, are absurd.
What I also found interesting from the news story is Portland Police Chief Michael Souschuck’s opposition to Constitutional Carry, who sounds like an incredible fool.
We might as well be hangin’ out a placard for drug dealers, uh, to come to the state of Maine ’cause you can buy yer, buy yer firearms on the private market, uh…without background checks, and them carry ’em concealed.
Really? The people of Portland, Maine must be so proud. Apparently Mr. Souschuck is unfamiliar with existing handgun laws, namely the Federal law that prohibits you from purchasing a handgun in a state where you are not a resident.
If an out of state “drug dealer” (or you know, just an average person) came to Maine to purchase a handgun, it would have to be transferred to an FFL in their home state. So this idea that “drug dealers” are going to flock to Maine to purchase handguns is either the dumbest thing I’ve heard all week, or another liberal scare tactic being used to influence public opinion. I suspect a little of both.
And when is the last time a “drug dealer” went through the process to get a concealed carry permit? Perhaps Mr. Souschuck knows of cases where criminals willingly signed up to be fingerprinted, get a background check, etc, but I sure don’t. More absurdity.
The bottom line in all of these permit discussions is this: free men do not ask for permission to bear arms.
You can read more here.
Souschuck proves a point that I have had for a long time, the “Top cops” do not know a damn thing about laws
The libtard cops don’t give a shit about laws either, the good cops I have dealt with know what the hell they are talking about
Of course in my area which is rural all the deputies grew up with guns and hunting so they are up on gun laws and our Sheriff and Prosecutor are top notch
Ahh to hell with it, I will just say it Mr Souschuk is a commie dickhead that doesn’t know shit except how to be a lying politician
New Hampshire’s been an Open Carry State for awhile now.
This is an excellent article and discussion! I completely agree with Moderno regarding “Constitutional” and/or “Open Carry”. I live in Utah and have a CCW. The ONLY reason I finally got a permit is in case I happen to bump into one of the afore mentioned not so smart or sharpest tool in the shed officers. More of a “insurance” permit really. I was actually quite unhappy with how easy it was to get the permit and now little class room time there was and in Utah, no actual training or shooting qualificaiton is required. Hell, my Hunters Safety I took as a kid was WAY MORE INVOLVED! Needless to say I have taken it upon myself to get as much continuing learning/instruction/training as I can. Honestly I believe a CCW should involve a fairly strict curriculum – like a month’s worth – 2-3 nights a week 3 hour classes with quizzes and a final exam that all have to be passed by minimum 90% along with a shooting and handling qualifications. Maybe I’m just weird but I thought getting my CCW was going to be so much more involved… it really should be…
You kinda contradicted yourself Tom…
PS: or as in the article above, go with Constituitonal Carry… (sorry I hit the post button too soon)
For a Blue State they sure are great when it comes to gun stuff. I think that the temperament of the residing governor has a lot to do with it. I hope that he stays in. Maine, one of the few decent New England states left, and it’ll probably stay that way as long as they can keep the assholes from CT and MA out.
Souschuck is a damn fool. I agree with you on Constitutional Carry – everything else is an infringement.
Tom,
While I understand why you’d like to see required training, your statement now makes you a supporter of gun control.
I spent last weekend in AZ, visiting a few gun shops, I noticed they had rather full classes of people that wanted to apply for a permit; these “users” felt they could use the extra training. Don’t you think I should be able to decide if I need extra training, or do you think the nanny state is the only one qualified to make this determination? In CA, if you wanted a permit, you needed to contribute to the local campaign fund, or apply in NoCA.
Prohibiting someone for getting a permit because they didn’t pass some random test, or have the funds to pay for some random class is just another added restriction.
Forcing someone to pay a fee for anything, or to get the state do it’s job, is just another way to limit people from getting a permit – We used to have Poll Taxes that did this. Where are the 40% in taxes I pay going?
Please post one (1) case where someone with a permit, has shot someone, that could have been prevented by a “required” class.
We already have enough laws on the books that “punish” people that use a gun improperly.
Thanks,
Denis
ah HELL NO I AM NOT A SUPPORTER OF GUN CONTROL! I simply think a conceal carry permit should be a little just little more involved than a fee and 1 3 hour class. IF not, then DONT HAVE ONE AT ALL! Whats the point of a “permit” ?? AS stated above and what I said – Constitutional Carry covers it. NO I DONT SUPPORT ANY MORE GUN CONTROL AND DONT SAY THAT I DO!
Requiring a class then would defy “constitutional carry”. Would having a class be a smart thing, I can get behind that, but it would just serve the same concept as a permit then at that point.
We were sooo close to getting Constitutional Carry this session, it lost by one vote in the House and then by a handful in the Senate. Lepage is the man when it comes to gun rights, not a single anti gun bill passed this session.
Wow, these discussions are all over the place! I didn’t detail-read every post, but some of these discussions miss one of the most important aspect of Concealed carry permits- it provides jobs and a revenue income for the state! That aspect does NOT derive its benefits from whether or not the nice people are trained, or not, they are in effect, a target of revenue by the state.
I am sure a few “gun control” people fear their tenuous grip slipping away, and instead, feel the permit should become more involved, more expensive, and issued less frequently.
They miss the boat so significantly- violence comes from the mind (and heart) of individuals. Control over those of us that accept community order, safety, and our peace among all, doesn’t effect a policeman’s ability to do his job.
I would argue that we currently have much more risky and dangerous open carry laws in Maine. Cell phones. You can openly carry these without a permit, use them for things such as texting while driving, perform illegal activities with them such as flash mobs and drug deals, use them to trigger bombs, or even hack critical computer systems including a Toyota Prius which can make it stop dead in its tracks at 80mph. Its a war on conservatives. That is all.