Every day in the United States more than 110 Americans are killed with a gun. These are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives—taken too soon from their families and friends. Thanks to the actions of Republican state legislators in Indiana—and the state’s GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb—these daily tragedies will likely rise.
Last week, Indiana became the latest state to make it legal for ordinary citizens to carry a concealed weapon on their person, with no permit and no training. This follows the lead of two other states that passed such laws this year—Alabama and Ohio—and six states that enacted similar legislation last year. Legislatures in Georgia, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Wisconsin are also considering such legislation.
States have long allowed gun owners to carry a concealed weapon, but all but Vermont required them to go through a permit process, which often entailed a background check and a mandatory safety class. In many states, police could reject permit applications.
These new laws, however, remove all restrictions. No background check, no training, no shooting exercises. […]
The author equates having a firearm to a driver’s license. For the conservatives the first is a right and the second a privilege. This is why there is a case in front of the Supreme Court on this very issue. I would ask that the following thought experiment be considered: Apply all of the tests the author references (training, exams, police vetting, etc…) to the other rights of the constitution (voting, marriage, free speech, practice of religion,etc). The left would go crazy, and understandably so. However, be careful what you ask for, treating all constitutional rights with the same standards as the second amendment is treated may leave results that are unpleasant and unintended. I fully understand the argument that the second amendment as cast by conservatives is a misrepresentation. That is something the Supreme Court will decide. Will we have a Republic of laws or not?