Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) introduced HR 38 - Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 - yesterday on the first day of the 115th Congress. The bill provides that if you have a concealed carry permit or you reside in a state which has constitutional carry then you may carry in any state that allows concealed carry for their own residents. The state in which you are visiting would still maintain the right to limit where you may or may not carry concealed.

Federal areas such as National Wildlife Refuges, Corps of Engineers, BLM, and Bureau of Reclamation lands would now be open to concealed carry under the bill. Furthermore, it reinforces the ability to carry concealed in National Parks.

The bill also puts the burden of proof on the state or municipality to show that an individual did not comply with the law if detained. It would also grant the individual attorneys' fees if he or she won their case.

The bill currently has 63 co-sponsors including at least two Democrats. I expect the bill to have many more co-sponsors added in due time.

In introducing the bill, Rep. Hudson said:

“Our Second Amendment right doesn’t disappear when we cross state lines, and this legislation guarantees that. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 is a common sense solution to a problem too many Americans face. It will provide law-abiding citizens the right to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits. As a member of President-elect Trump’s Second Amendment Coalition, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the administration to get this legislation across the finish line.”

Donald Trump has signaled his readiness to sign such a bill if it passed Congress.

A few things stand out in the language of the bill. First, it does not specify that the concealed carry permit be issued by the carrier's state of residence. It just says that the person must not be a prohibited person and that they are carrying a permit issued "pursuant to the law of a State." Your state of residence is only an issue for those people living in constitutional carry states.

Second, if I am reading it correctly, the term handgun means any handgun with any magazine loaded with any ammunition. It does not say that I would be prohibited from having a standard size magazine in California nor does it say that the magazine has to be loaded with ball ammo if I was passing through New Jersey which bans hollow-point ammunition to non-law enforcement.

Third, a person possessing a handgun under this act would not be subject to "the prohibitions of section 922(q)." 18 U.S. Code § 922(q) is the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1994.

The only thing missing from this act is any mention of carry in National Forests.

I have embedded the bill below so that you can read it and see if my conclusions regarding the language of the bill are correct.

Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 by jpr9954 on Scribd

Couldn't You Just Imagine John Ross As Head Of BATFE?

I saw reference to this on Facebook earlier this evening and now have found the original letter. John Ross, author of Unintended Consequences, has volunteered to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for a salary of $1 per year. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it is a 1996 novel of the gun culture (one of the earliest uses of that term) and the jack-booted thuggery of the BATF.

If you don't want to pay over $100 for a used hardcover version of the book, I suggest going to the publisher who reportedly still has paperback versions of the book available. While I don't want to suggest gypping an author out of his well-deserved royalties, you can find PDFs of the book on the Internet if you look hard enough.

Ross' letter and an introductory letter by T. J. Mullin are posted on the Subguns.com NFA forum. I have taken the liberty of reproducing it below.

John Ross volunteers for ATF Director position

Posted By: stfram
Date: 1/2/17 05:38

Copied from conservativetreehouse.com:

January 2, 2017 at 12:26 am

Another Dollar-A-Year Man for the Trump Administration by Timothy J. Mullin and John Ross

Treepers: I’ve been urged to volunteer to be a part of the Trump Administration, and need a good place to publish these letters, that supporters can link to. I’d like that place to be CTH.

First, an introductory letter from Timothy J. Mullin, then my own to President-elect Trump.
JR

===================================================

To all Trump Administration supporters:

I suspect that most of you reading this are like me, and figure that anyone who wants to get a government job is likely one of two types: First, there are the lazy and stupid, who can’t compete in the private sector, but still want to get a high-paying job with good benefits. That’s okay, I suppose, as such people are not dangerous, just a drag on everyone else. Worse are those who want to get the job to exert power over other people, but who know that with their own skills and abilities alone, they could not do it. However, if they have the weight and power of the government at their command, they will be able to rule over others. Then, of course, there are those who are both things, the lazy & stupid who also want to control the lives of other people.

Alternatively, there are a few citizens who are willing to make sacrifices of both money and, more critically, time, to take a government position because they think it is the right thing to do. They know that they can bring insight and ability to a position that will make the country a better place–a better place not for themselves, but for others who will come after them. People like this get little value for themselves from their efforts, for they have already managed to structure their lives so that the reforms that they will encourage have little impact on them, but will benefit others.

Among this group of people who volunteer to sacrifice their own best interests, much the same as a soldier will do for the country’s best interests, is my friend, John Ross.

John has agreed to offer himself up to serve in the new Trump Administration as the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This Agency is one riddled with scandal and is certainly one of the least admirable of our existing federal agencies, considered by most as the “F Troop” of federal law enforcement.

Why, then, would anyone who has everything going for him, as John does, be willing to take on such a position? It is because he is the man for the job, and realizes that his country desperately needs his abilities and insights at this so-very-critical time.

For those who may have come in late to the subject of the BATFE and its interaction with the citizens and civil rights of our country, John Ross is the author of UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, the definitive book chronicling the gun culture of our country, and the attacks on it by our own government. This book has risen to as high as No. 7 on the Amazon hardcover sales chart, and is now in its eighth printing. It has sold an astounding number of copies, but more critically, it has achieved world-wide fame and been lauded by many readers (too many to count) as the best book they have ever read, excepting the Bible. Not only is John Ross an accomplished author of great renown familiar with the BATFE and its many issues, he has been an active participant in the field for over 40 years, holding BATFE-issued federal licenses at a variety of levels, so he has had plenty of interaction with that Agency.

Of course, merely being the single most influential chronicler of the gun culture and holding licenses issued by the BATFE would hardly be sufficient to administer an Agency like the BATFE if he did not also have the intellect and managerial skills needed for such duties. His many articles in a variety of publications, like The American Thinker, as well as graduation from Amherst College, with BA degrees in both English and Economics, all give strong evidence of his intellectual capabilities. A successful quarter-century career managing others in the securities field, forty years and counting in Aspen real estate, and being an entrepreneur who developed and promoted a specialty handgun (the massive Smith & Wesson Ross Model 500 revolver), clear up any questions about the latter point.

Cleaning up an Agency like the BATFE, which is riddled with mismanagement, has been exposed numerous time for engaging in criminal behavior, and has a history of civil rights violations such that the honest citizenry of our country distrusts them at a level unreached by any other government agency, calls for a man like John Ross to take control and, to quote the new President, “Drain the Swamp.”

At my urging, John has written a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, following Mr. Trump’s example by offering himself as a “Dollar A Year” man. Such opportunities to get talent and skills like his are almost unheard of at the Federal level when accompanied by the correct attitude and philosophy. With his permission, I am attaching a copy of his letter offering his services.

I would encourage all who read this, and would like to see a rogue agency be brought back into the mold of an organization that can be trusted by those who applaud what our country was founded to achieve, to join me. Please contact the President-elect and ask him to take advantage of this superb opportunity for our nation.

Timothy J. Mullin is a 1973 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and has a private law practice in St. Louis, MO. He has written over a dozen books on firearms-related topics, with emphasis on their history, cultural significance, and tactical use. He has also published scores of firearms-related magazine articles, many on the legal realities of protecting oneself from an overreaching Federal Government.

==================================================

From John Ross:

Dear President-Elect Trump:

It is Christmas Day as I write this, and I have been watching the things you have been doing as President-Elect with ever increasing admiration. I would like to be a “Dollar a Year Man” in your administration—that is to say, to follow your example and eschew a government salary.

The position I’d like to fill is Director of BATFE. This would dovetail well with your policy of appointing established critics of various troubled agencies (EPA, HUD, etc.) as the people to best lead them, reform them, or, in some cases, oversee their dissolution.

The experience and attitude I would bring to BATFE would focus on four areas, all consistent with your philosophy of “Make America Great Again”: Restore an environment in which the weapons invented by America’s individual small arms designers were the best in the world, with the attendant benefit to the U.S. Military;

Nurture an environment of innovation in all disciplines regulated by BATFE;

Preserve and advance the current and historic knowledge and techniques that are slowly being lost here in America;

Increase legal commerce (and the attendant tax revenue) in ways consistent with your strong pro-business platform.

Many of these goals can be attained with policy shifts within the BATFE which I would initiate, and would not require Congress to pass new legislation.

My Credentials:

While I have never managed a group of people as large as a Federal Agency, I spent over 25 years running offices and training departments in the Securities industry. I was successful enough at these endeavors that, like you, I can afford to work for free to help put our country back on the right track so that it will be stronger and more free for our descendants.

Of equal importance is my 40-year background in firearms and explosives. These fields are unlike most segments of American commerce in that they generate tremendous passion among their participants. More than one American firearms company, looking to improve its market position, has hired a Chief Executive who was a great success at running a company that made washing machines or some other common manufactured product, only to discover that consumers don’t think the same way when buying guns as they do when shopping for appliances. The same is true for explosives, particularly in the growing fireworks industry.

Business in this industry is bigger every year, and we are currently seeing over $1 Billion in domestic annual revenues. The BATFE should be directed by someone who understands these market realities with every fiber of his being.

The fact that I have zero experience in the manufacture, importation, sale, or distribution of alcohol or tobacco products is not, as it might first seem, a negative in regards to heading this federal agency. According to the General Accounting Office, BATFE spends 76% of its annual budget on firearms-related operations, and 22% on explosives and the attendant arson investigations.

Despite having “Alcohol” and “Tobacco” in its name, only 2% of BATFE’s budget is spent on alcohol and tobacco issues. The lion’s share of that tiny budget percentage is dedicated to thwarting illicit smuggling operations involving the movement of cigarettes from Virginia, where the state excise tax is 30 cents per pack, to New York and Chicago, where state and local tax rates are $5.85 and $6.16 per pack, respectively. See this article for documentation:

https://www.nap.edu/read/19016/chapter/8#142

These statistics clearly show that it is imperative that a BATFE Director be intimately familiar with the areas where BATFE spends 98% of its budget, namely Firearms and Explosives. Even more importantly, the new Director must be sensitive to the legal and cultural issues that exist in the interplay between the Agency he directs and the citizens with whom it interacts.

I am that person. I will bring experience to the job, and restore credibility to this tarnished Agency.

Sincerely yours,

John Ross

Gives A New Meaning To Bubbly

Normally when the words "bubbly" and "alcohol" are used in conjunction the product in question is champagne or some other sparkling wine. However, the good folks at Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky might want to offer an alternative.

The picture below is from their Instagram feed. It is a mash tub full of fermenting rye grains. Willett, which is just down the road from the Heaven Hill visitor center and rickhouses, is a small family run distillery making both bourbon and rye. The Complementary Spouse and I toured Willett after attending the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting.

It may be a #NewYear, but we're still making this fine #Rye the same way we always have. Cheers!

A photo posted by Willett Distillery (@willettdistillery) on Jan 3, 2017 at 4:11pm PST

There Is Hope For The Next Generation

I came across this on Instagram this evening. It is taken from a standardized test of some sort. I'd like to think the test taker was a teen in some sort of AP History or Government class.

The kids are all right.

#HopeForTheFuture This kid is going places. #TRUTH #Educate - #Motivate - #Advocate #ColdDeadHands #2a #patriot #igmilitia #2ndamendment #KeepAndBearArms #SecondAmendment #ShallNotBeInfringed #gunsense #gunrights #MolonLabe #ComeAndTakeIt #DontTreadOnMe #libertyordeath #threepercent #iggunslingers #instaguns #operator #USA #Constitution #MAGA

A photo posted by Cold Dead Hands (@colddeadhandz) on Jan 2, 2017 at 6:09pm PST

Now We Know What Colt Is Releasing (Part 2)

In Part 1 I wrote about the details of the new Colt Cobra. This post will cover the remainder of the new introductions from Colt's Manufacturing. Given that they are all 1911s, they aren't new per se but they do include new calibers and updated features. All of this information comes courtesy of Yamil Sued who released this information early this morning.

Starting with updates to the Colt Gold Cup, it will now be the Gold Cup Trophy and will come in both .45 ACP and 9mm. The next two pictures give their specifications.

Yamil gives his impressions of the Gold Cup Trophy in the video below:




Now to the big boomer - the Colt Delta Elite Rail in 10mm. As Yamil says, this is really just a modification of the Delta Elite as only the rail feature is added.

The final three 1911s are variations on the Colt Commander including a new Wiley Clapp LW Commander in 9mm and a reintroduction of the Combat Commander. Their specs are below:

Now We Know What Colt Is Releasing (Part 1)

Thanks to Yamil Sued, photographer extraordinaire, we now know just what Colt's Manufacturing will be releasing for 2017. Yamil teased a post and then delivered  with a series of photos and videos soon after 12am EST this morning. I presume that is when the non-disclosure agreement expired.

As somewhat expected, Colt is re-releasing the Colt Cobra double action revolver. The specs are below:

The new Cobra is a six-shot, 2 inch, stainless steel framed revolver with a fiber optic front sight and Hogue grips. Given that the Cobra is steel framed and not an aluminum alloy, the purist in me would suggest that it should have been called the Detective Special (5th Issue) and not the Cobra. In Facebook comments, it was suggested that Colt went with Cobra to keep the snake name alive for further revolver introductions.

Here is a better picture of the Cobra. Notice the difference in the trigger guard and trigger from the older Colts.

Photo by Yamil R. Sued

Yamil gives a review of the Cobra in this short YouTube video.




Elsewhere I heard mention that the pistol will sell for $699 MSRP. If it performs well, that is not a bad price. I really do hope that Colt will have this at the SHOT Show Range Day. I am especially interested in how the trigger performs compared to the old Colt trigger.

Happy New Year!

As we approach 2017, we, in the gun culture, have good reason to be optimistic. While we lost some referenda in the West, we now have a President, Senate, and House that should be able to work together to enact legislation such as the Hearing Protection Act and national reciprocity. More importantly, soon to be President Trump will not only get to appoint one or more justices to the Supreme Court but also 100 or more Federal judges at the District and Circuit levels. We may finally get to a point where the lower courts can no longer pay lip service to the Heller and McDonald decisions.

So, as we close 2016, I want to leave you with this rendition of Auld Lang Syne by my good friend Charlie Cook. His musical interpretations of various songs and themes are wonderfully unique.

Happy New Year!

Knife Law Reform In New York Must Wait Another Year

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) ignored the overwhelming support in both houses of the New York Assembly for reform of New York's gravity knife law and vetoed the bill today. The bill had the support of groups such as the NAACP and the ACLU who normally would not support a pro-2A bill. In this case, they saw the harm that the existing law caused for the average New Yorker.

I guess I could make a joke about Cuomo getting confused on what he was supposed to do after indulging in one too many of girlfriend Sandra Lee's cocktails but what he did was give the average New Yorker the finger.

Knife Rights has the full story below.

Cuomo Sides with NYC Pols - Gives Finger to the People 

Waiting until the last possible moment, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has vetoed Knife Rights' Gravity Knife and Switchblade Reform Bill, effectively giving the finger to New York's legislature that overwhelmingly passed the bill and the large coalition of organizations, many part of his own constituency, which supported the bill. Despite the thousands who called and emailed the Governor to sign the bill, and thanks very much for those who did so, he sided with the disingenuous arguments made by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill and District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., virtually the only ones who opposed the bill. In vetoing this bill he has potentially doomed thousands more to arrest and prosecution for carrying common pocket knives that won't get someone arrested virtually anywhere except in New York City.

Despite Cuomo's avowed commitment to criminal justice reform in New York, this veto clearly shows the lie to that claim.

Next year's session of the New York Legislature is almost upon us and we'll be back again working to fix the state's Gravity Knife law to prevent these arrests and prosecutions. This bill passed with such large majorities in both houses of the legislature that an override of a veto is theoretically possible.

Meanwhile, our five-year-old Federal civil rights lawsuit over the constitutionality of New York City's "wrist flick" test awaits a decision which could settle the issue for certain.