In Florida, a
major CCW reform bill is moving in the state legislature. Among issues covered are "parking lot" provisions to allow CCW-licensed employees to store their firearms in their locked vehicles at work, and an "open carry" provision. Florida's original CCW law was written in such a way that even accidentally exposing your firearm, while bending over to put groceries in the trunk, for example, was a serious no-no, so this is a benefit even to those who carry concealed by preference.
Meanwhile, in Indiana, there are two important bills being considered:
The first is SB 292. When Indiana reformed its CCW legislation back in the
'80s mid-'90s, some municipalities were allowed to keep "grandfathered" gun laws; SB 292 would remove the exemption for these, giving us true preemption.
The second is SB 506, which would remove the requirement to have a handgun permit to transport a pistol. (The reason so many people in Indiana have CCW permits is because it's $5 to get a pink card to take your pistol to the range and only a few bucks more for a 4-year toter's permit; check a different box and fork over a C-note and you get a lifetime LTCH...)
Pester your legiscritters.
Indiana's preemption statute is from the mid-90s. It was structured so that Gary could keep its laws. Oddly it protected Speedway's prohibition on carrying concealed.
ReplyDeleteFor Gun Rights folks who read this: Kindly note the propaganda in today's Sunday funnies, by Doonesbury.
ReplyDeleteThat statistic is bound to be quoted far and wide on any gun issue, tho' it be compounded of the best Comintern and Goering ingredients.
the Media Frenzy for GUNKONTROL has apparently started to enter the public phase of the long-delayed full frontal assault.
I hope that Congress lady recovers from her shot head and says, "CCW is good. I wish I'd had one with me."
That full-court media press has never stopped.
ReplyDeleteAn indicator of how effective it's been can be seen in the above post.
Mebbe I should pester my legislators to adopt some of these ideas locally. Though, about the only thing we could get here that would be truly swank would be removal of the clause that makes going somewhere that has a "no guns" sign posted an actual 4th degree felony.
ReplyDeleteThey catch me toting and want to kick me out, that's fine, but I don't see giving any old Joe the ability to turn me into a felon by posting a business card sized notice in the corner of a window.
Cue hysterical ranting about Dodge City and blood in the streets in 3....2....1...
ReplyDeleteYou'd think just once the Brady Bunch would, after a CCW law is passed, say "Wow, we really called that one wrong, didn't we? I wonder what else we believe isn't true?"
Not that it really helps, but NJ has satewide pre-emption. Jersey City tried to implement One Gun a Month restriction a few years back and were shot down by the court system. This led to the state OGAM, sadly...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call the tradeoff worth it, but it seems that the later to the party states are, the more freedom they allow once they do go free. (DC being the exception, of course).
There's also a bill in front of the Colorado legislature for Constitutional carry, like Vermont, Alaska, and Arizona already have: http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2011A/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/15608113E583112C8725781E005F3120?Open&file=1205_01.pdf
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting on mandatory OC.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to not open carry, you should have to buy a conscientious objector permit.
New Mexico, at last, is considering SB 220, a Castle Doctrine law. Yippee!
ReplyDeleteGary and Speedway are the only towns, right? Don't get me wrong, I support the bill since I live in Speedway, but it hasn't been enforced here for awhile (at least under the old chief).
ReplyDeleteAnother bill that I hope passes but probably won't is the school restrictions reform. Right now case law of the pickup clause makes stepping out of the car or even not being the driver and carrying a felon. Plus a lot places can be considered a school due to the vague school function/school property clause. The bill would take down to a misdemeanor. It would allow people with LTCHs to store the gun in the locked car out of sight. They wouldn't have to be disarmed on the way home if they wanted to take in a game, play, or teacher's conference.
Also as I read it would allow teachers to store a gun in their car if they wanted. They still wouldn't be protected from getting fired by the parking lot bill's educational places clause but it would be a better option than what is available now.
Just make sure that the preemption law has some teeth. Here in FL local governments still pass their own ordinances, and the victim has to fight it in court. There's no penalty clause in the state preemption law, so local governments have no incentive to obey it.
ReplyDelete