More Made Up Problems

So the Joyce Foundation AstroTurf Protect Minnesota is all buthurt about HR 822, the national Conceal Carry Reciprocity bill.

We oppose the gutting of Minnesota gun laws by HR 822, which would allow any out-of-state concealed carry permit holder to bring a hidden, loaded gun into Minnesota. As reports show, Florida has issued over 1,400 permits to people guilty of felonies and over 200 to people with outstanding arrest warrants. Allowing cross-border transporting of loaded guns will make life easy for gun traffickers and threaten Minnesota’s safety. Minnesota law enforcement officers would be faced with easily-forged permits from all of the other states. This is an irresponsible encroachment on the right of Minnesota to set public safety policy.

Like all Joyce shills no citations of their data. Its certainly not LEGAL to issue permits to people with felony convictions, nor outstanding warrants, Furthermore even if this is true the permit wouldn’t do jack shit, as a Conceal Weapons permit allows for somebody to LEGALLY carry a weapon. Well if you’re a felon, or have a warrant, you can’t actually carry or POSSES a firearm, and that little piece of paper suddenly doesn’t NOTHING in an encounter with Law Enforcement.

Still I got curious so I went and looked at the Minnesota laws.

Appears that 15 states are allowed to carry in Minnesota, one of them is Utah, which is the #1 permit acquired by those who like to travel while carrying. I personally don’t have a Utah permit because I have a Florida one that’s almost as good, and I have little desire to go to Minnesota, can you blame me?

This part got me scratching my head:

On an annual basis, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is directed to establish and publish an online Internet listing of states which have handgun carry permit laws that are not substantially similar to Minnesota’s law under Minnesota Session Laws 2003, Chapter 28, Article 2 Section 21, Minn. Stat. 624.714 Subd. 16.

Struck me as weird given that there are some pretty restrictive states that Minnesota won’t honor…so I went to the law books.

Subd. 2a.Training in the safe use of a pistol.

(a) An applicant must present evidence that the applicant received training in the safe use of a pistol within one year of the date of an original or renewal application.

I think that’s it. Most states are one-time trainers, and unless you let your permit lapse, you’re good-to-go.

Of course you know how I feel about all this bullshit. Obviously somebody who hasn’t gone to the range, or discharged a round in several years is going to be so much “Safer” than somebody who shoots once a week, but hasn’t had formal training in 30 years.

Its nonsense, unless you regularly shoot your skills will perish, and mandatory training isn’t going to necessarily do anything to improve those skills. The numbers reflect this, as gun accidents and violent crime committed by permit holders is at statistical noise levels.

Oh BTW they’re worried about all sorts of permits and forgeries:

(a) The holder of a permit to carry must have the permit card and a driver’s license, state identification card, or other government-issued photo identification in immediate possession at all times when carrying a pistol and must display the permit card and identification document upon lawful demand by a peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1.

So you must carry your permit card (A Minnesota Non-resident permit, or a permit from the listed 15 states that Minnesota Recognizes….to further complicate things some states issue drastically different cards for resident vs. Non-resident cards) and then “driver’s license, state identification card, or other government-issued photo identification” OK how many different documents are we talking now? So a driver’s licence, or state ID from ANY of the 50 states, and then who knows how many more State issued IDs could count. So really, adding 35 more State Permits isn’t really going to kill anybody.

Really this law is much-ado about nothing. It doesn’t even give the Government a backdoor way to restrict carry. It simply says if a state issues a permit the other states must honor them. Just like driver’s licenses or marriage licenses. Also every state is different with those. Different tests, fees, requirements, and the paperwork is all unique to the state. I don’t know if it still happens but I know some states required a blood test for couples looking to tie the knot. I know Maine didn’t subject the wife or I to such tribulations. Also many states, including Massachusetts, don’t care what GENDER you are, just Party #1, and Party #2, no Bride, no Groom. Some states choose to be scared of gay cooties, but they oddly enough aren’t scared of Mass Marriage licenses. They have no problem recognizing that paperwork so long as you adhere to traditional genitalia.

Same goes for Driver’s licenses, the tests are all different, and the requirements are all different. Even state-to-state traffic laws vary a good deal (Just ask anybody who’s seen their first Jughandle Turn in New Jersey, or gone through a Rotary in Massachusetts) but yet every state honors your driver’s license without question, and will exchange licenses if you move from one state to another. I have a Massachusetts driver’s license, and all I had to do to get it was move to Mass and exchange my Maine license, and pay a ridiculous fee.

Also for people like myself who carry everywhere we go, and go to multiple states on a regular basis, this will save you a TON of money in maintaining multiple state permits.

And the downsides to this are…well there aren’t any!

But they’d like to pretend there is!