First and foremost, no, that's not my pistol. I sure wish it was, but unfortunately it isn't.
Moving on...
In case you haven't been paying attention - and unless you're a gun owner, you haven't been - the Trump Administration is solidly behind the 2nd Amendment, going so far recently as to take the unprecidented steps of actually suing two states (California and Virginia) over their most recent gun control laws, citing them as being unconstitutional. And trust me, when this one hits the Supreme Court - and it will, I assure you - and the SCOTUS returns an opinion that yes, those laws are unconstitutional, that's gonna pretty much end the liberal left's attempts at any form of gun control. It's also gonna make liberal heads explode all over the nation, and THAT is gonna be funny as hell to watch!
Another item that Trump supports is National Reciprocity for concealed carry permits. This means that your concealed carry permit will be valid in every state in the Union, just like driver's licenses. He also supports national open carry as well, which is not a bad idea.
When it comes to national reciprocity for concealed carry permits, I'm on the fence about it. I absolutely see the sense in it - after all, if a driver's license from South Carolina is good in all 50 states, then why shouldn't my Concealed Weapons Permit be good in all 50 states as well?
The first thing that liberals will say is that it's not the same thing because guns kill more people than cars annually, which is true, but what they won't admit is that the majority of those deaths were SUICIDES in which a firearm was used. Anywhere from 55-62% of gun related deaths in 2024 (the last year for which full stats are available) were the results of suicide.
What the liberals also won't acknowledge or take into consideration is the statistically proven fact that concealed carry permits holders are the most law-abiding citizens in the United States. So why should you be worried about a law-abiding citizen being able to carry nationwide? Noooo, let's not talk about that!
While I think that National Reciprocity for concealed carry permits is a good idea, the ONLY reason I can't get 100% behind it is because of the 10th Amendment. For those not familiar with it, here's what it says:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
So now the first question will be, "Why are driver's licenses good all over the nation?" And the answer is because all 50 states signed the Driver License Compact, which is an agreement stating that the signees will recognize the driver's license from all other states and will assist those states in tracking offenses committed in their state by someone with an out of state license.
And THAT, friends and neighbors, falls squarely within the 10th Amendment. The individual states got together and agreed on something, exercising their authority as invididual states to do so.
If the individual states ever got together and signed a Concealed Carry Permit Compact, then concealed weapons permits would be good in every state just like a driver's license. But considering that two states are now being sued by the Feds for their anti-gun laws, I don't think you'll ever be able to get all 50 states to sign such a compact. The topic of gun control and gun control laws is THE most heated debate in the nation, and I don't ever see a concensus on this being reached.
Trump thinks so too, which is why he's floating the idea of a federal law requiring National Reciprocity for concealed carry permits. But like I said, the bad thing is that such a law would fly right in the face of the 10th Amendment, and the ink wouldn't even be dry on the document before California, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Washington, and a few other anti-gun states would file suit against the federal government.
And I can tell you right now that such a lawsuit would win, because IMHO any national reciprocity law violates the 10th Amendment and is therefore unconstitutional. I'm also 99.9% sure that the SCOTUS would share that opinion.
So to answer the big question of am I in favor of a National Reciprocity law for concealed carry? Yes, but only if all 50 states sign a compact (which we know ain't ever gonna happen). Am I in favor of a federal National Reciprocity law?
No, because such a law is patently unconstitutional. Hate to say it, but there it is.
In closing, let me say this: I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment in its literal form. "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" to me means that ALL gun control laws are unconstitutional, including laws which require you to have a permit before you can carry a firearm either openly or concealed. You will NEVER hear me include the word "BUT" when I speak of being a supporter of the 2nd Amendment.
I just can't support a pro-gun law that I believe to be unconstitutional.
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