Dale Franks over at Q&O
There should be some system whereby any private citizen who has performed federal military or law enforcement service can obtain a federal concealed weapons permit that is valid in every place in the United States, irrespective of any state or local laws to the contrary. Those eligible should have completed at least one term of service with an honorable discharge or its equivalent, have no criminal record, and no history of mental illness.
Now, Dale is a great resource and I enjoy reading him daily, but in this case he is so wrong as to cause the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. I left this comment
Sorry, but I will disagree with you here, and rather vehemently. The right to self defense is a natural right, not one that is given to “special” people who took certain jobs. Every last citizen in this country has the right to keep and bear arms, period. If they are not trustworthy enough to have a firearm, then they are not trustworthy enough to be allowed access to gasoline, matches, knives, powdered coffee creamer (makes a WONDERFUL fireball), baseball bats, powdered chlorine & Coca-cola. If you can assure me that someone is so dangerous that, if allowed access to a firearm, they will commit a crime, then they should be in jail. This ‘special status’ for cops is a joke. Cops have a higher percentage of criminal behavior than CCW permit holders. Soldiers? That’s a joke too. I’m a former Marine and my training was about handling a rifle and killing the enemy, I didn’t receive a lick of training on how to handle a self defense situation in the civilian world. Either we’re all equal or we’re not. There’s nothing libertarian about ‘special groups’.
Sorry, but I will disagree with you here, and rather vehemently. The right to self defense is a natural right, not one that is given to “special” people who took certain jobs. Every last citizen in this country has the right to keep and bear arms, period. If they are not trustworthy enough to have a firearm, then they are not trustworthy enough to be allowed access to gasoline, matches, knives, powdered coffee creamer (makes a WONDERFUL fireball), baseball bats, powdered chlorine & Coca-cola. If you can assure me that someone is so dangerous that, if allowed access to a firearm, they will commit a crime, then they should be in jail.
This ‘special status’ for cops is a joke. Cops have a higher percentage of criminal behavior than CCW permit holders. Soldiers? That’s a joke too. I’m a former Marine and my training was about handling a rifle and killing the enemy, I didn’t receive a lick of training on how to handle a self defense situation in the civilian world.
Either we’re all equal or we’re not. There’s nothing libertarian about ‘special groups’.
Our fight for gun rights isn’t always against the miniscule anti-gun groups. When discussing Open Carry, the biggest roadblock I have faced isn’t those who oppose guns, but those who consider themselves gun-rights supporters. Don’t think that just because someone is on your side politically that they are naturally aware of gun rights. Dale is Libertarian, but clearly has not thought out what he mentioned and would probably have no problems with certain permits and laws that my normal readers (as if there were such a thing!) would find repulsive.
Talk to your friends and family about rights. Make sure that they understand why you are passionate about the right to keep and bear arms. Make sure you understand why as well and be polite about it. We need all the help we can get.