This is the first in a series of articles that I will be writing. It is my intent to expose the truth of gun ownership as regards the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution which states:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The right to “Carry Arms” and the right to “Keep and bear Arms” need protecting. The two are inseparable. Though I believe that a person should be able to own an unregistered firearm ( that is a firearm not registered with the government), I also believe that persons who are not responsible to have firearms should not. In this article I will discuss the “Right to Carry”, what it means, and the truth of its impact in the State of Florida as an example.
Right to carry laws are requirements that must be met so that a person may carry a concealed firearm either on their person or in a vehicle. You do not need a right to carry “permit” to carry weapons un-concealed in most states (Please check local laws to verify as some states have certain areas where firearms are not allowed to be openly carried). Such laws are for the good of the people, allowing local law-enforcement to possess the knowledge of “who” may be carrying a concealed weapon. Such information is vital to law-enforcement when serving summons’, making routines traffic stops, etc., as the permit holder will be readily identified – at least in their hometown.
My son carries a .45 Colt Commander. He was stopped by two local policemen for a taillight being out. Because it was dark and a Sunday Evening they asked if they could search his vehicle. He said he would rather they not, unless they had probable cause, to whit they responded that a warrant could be gotten should he say no. Having nothing to hide and wanting to get on with life he exited his vehicle with one officer accompanying him to the rear of the vehicle while the other searched it.
My son was engaged in small talk with the officer who had escorted him to the rear of his vehicle. Justin had recently graduated OCS for the Marines at Quantico, VA. This topic was dominating their conversation when the other officer came to the rear of the vehicle and joined them. He asked my son if he had anything on his person they should know about. Justin told them he had a permit to carry and was packing a .45! Both officers about crapped their pants! One covered him while Justin produced his license to carry. They had him slowly remove his jacket, all the while looking for his pistol. When it was not readily discernible they asked him where it was. Justin reached into his crotch and produced his commander. The tension drained away, they let him put his coat back on and then admired his “Colt Commander”, engaging in more small-talk.So why am I sharing all this? The officer handed Justin back his driver’s license and permit to carry. He then coached my son to do the same the next time he was stopped by a patrolman: produce both his ID AND RTC (right to carry) license and hand them to the Police officer at the same time. This would alert the officer to the fact of a weapon being on his person and lend itself to a more favorable response in the future.
Betty Friedan is the founder of the “National Organization of Women” (N.O.W), and she had this to say about firearms ownership:
“lethal violence, even in self defense, only engenders more violence.”
According to the NRA-ILA fact-sheet “There are at present 40 Right-to-Carry states. “Thirty-six have “shall issue” laws, requiring that carry permits be issued to applicants who meet uniform standards established by the state legislature. Three have fairly-administered discretionary-issue carry permit systems. One, Vermont, respects the right to carry without a permit. Alaska, one of the “shall issue” states, has its permit system for the purpose of permit-reciprocity with other states, and also adopted a no-permit-required law in 2003.” Only two states: Wisconsin and Illinois have no RTC permit process. The RTC laws of this country are a benefit to all persons, those who own firearms and those who do not. But to deny the citizens of this country the legal right to carry firearms is to deny the ultimate rights of self-defense.
When the Florida RTC law went into effect, the Dade County Police began a program to record all arrest and non arrest incidents involving concealed carry licensees. “Between September of 1987 and August of 1992, Dade County recorded 4 crimes committed by licensees with firearms. None of these crimes resulted in an injury. The record keeping program was abandoned in 1992 because there were not enough incidents to justify tracking them.” The following stats can be verified by clicking the hyperlink.* Florida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987. Between 1987 and 1996, these changes occurred:
* 221,443 concealed RTC licenses were issued in Florida between October of 1987 and April of 1994. During that time, Florida recorded 18 crimes committed by RTC holders with firearms.
* As of 1998, nationwide, there has been 1 recorded incident in which a permit holder shot someone following a traffic accident. The permit holder was not charged, as the grand jury ruled the shooting was in self defense.
* As of 1998, no permit holder has ever shot a police officer. There have been several cases in which a permit holder has protected an officer’s life. 1.
- Lott, John R. Jr. More Guns, Less Crime. The University of Chicago Press, 1998. Pages 1, 11, 43
- http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/georgewash146838.html
- http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/heinrichhi201255.html
Dedicated to the Smallbore Shotgun 
