CHEYENNE -- Wyoming residents would be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill that cleared the state Senate on Monday.Sigh. What's happening to my country? In the America of my youth, shooters were a persecuted minority and every new law was a bad law.
The Wyoming Senate voted 20-10 in favor of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper.
If the bill ultimately becomes law, Wyoming would join Alaska, Arizona and Vermont as states that don't require citizens to have permits to carry concealed weapons.
If this keeps up, I'm going to have to re-think a number of bitter preconceptions I've drawn great comfort from over the years. You wouldn't want to make me have to think, now, would you?
7 comments:
Not being a lawyer I wouldn't know what to call it, but they should add some sort of caveat to the legislation once its passed making it irrevocable for perpetuity.
"Wyoming _residents_ would be able to carry concealed guns without a permit ...."
Followed by
"If the bill ultimately becomes law, Wyoming would join Alaska, Arizona and Vermont as states that don't require _citizens_ to have permits to carry concealed weapons."
Does this only apply to Wyoming residents or to everyone, like in Vermont?
I don't know the details, since following law-making is an activity I find as appealing as raising grubs as pets.
It would be an important distinction, though.
Joel, I strongly doubt you'll have to start "thinking" any time soon. Does anyone seriously think that any of these states don't still believe they reserve the "right" to change their mind on the subject? (GunRights4US noted that point too.)
Alaska is a perfect case in point; sure, the current law seems to say that they can't bother me for walking around prepared, but it also says that I'm supposed to immediately notify and surrender any such piece to any LEO who stops me, even if it's for having a brake light out.
Note the attitude here: you guys can CCW all you want around each other, but in the presence of an Anointed One you gotta "come clean" and give it up immediately.
Alaska certainly has its benefits, and it may well be better than most places, but it ain't no model for real liberty.
Unfortunately, the new law (and we don't yet know what sort of crap the house may try to stick to it) will not be for everyone, but only for residents of Wyoming who have lived here for 6 months. How they plan to enforce that is, of course, not mentioned. There is also the usual list of places where CC is verboten - though we can currently OC in most of them without question. Go figure.
One of the worst proposed amendments to it would require the usual mandatory "training," and would simply be a "permit" by another name. We're going to squash that one! Not to say that getting rid of the fingerprints and background checks would be bad even then, but it would certainly not be "Vermont carry."
Wyoming would continue to offer a CC permit for those who wished to have one that would be recognized by some states, and that would involve all the checks, fingerprints and so forth now required.
Not perfect, but not too bad eitehr... depending on what the house tries to do to it, of course. It passed by quite a nice margin in the senate, so we just have to wait to see what happens.
It will be nice not to have to concern myself if I happen to need a coat...
Wyoming Constitution
Article 1, Section 24. Right to bear arms.
The right of citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the state shall not be denied.
A few years ago the Wyoming legislature said that you can carry concealed if you pay us some money and jump through these hoops and give us your ID.
Now the Senate is saying they'll give you a permit so that you won't need a license to carry concealed if you'll jump through these hoops, and say pretty please and it's not near as bad as a license, don't you know? And don't give 'em any stuff about the constitution and bearing arms not being denied.
Those words in the Wyoming constitution don't mean what they say. I read that in the paper.
Mountain Rifleman
Well, we'll see what happens. Some of us are not prepared to pay a whole lot of attention regardless.
We take the "not denied" part very seriously. :)
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