Legislative Shorts – February 2009 By Andy Barniskis, Legislative Chairman Eric Holder Confirmed as Attorney General Despite the best efforts of many in the gun rights community, Eric Holder's nomination as U.S. Attorney General was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a 75-21 vote. Eric Holder in now in charge of prosecuting gun owners and leading the notoriously anti-gun Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). Holder's extensive anti-gun record is chronicled at http://www.nationalgunrights.org/ericholder.shtml. In our states, U.S. Senators Specter (R – PA), Casey (D-PA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Menendez (D- NJ) all voted to confirm Holder, despite your pleas to consider his anti-rights record. Remember them come election time. Gun Club Regulation on Horizon This does not yet affect Pennsylvania or New Jersey, but the state of Connecticut is presently considering legislation that would require all gun clubs in the state to prove they are in compliance with all public safety and environmental laws. It is easy to imagine how such a requirement could be used by anti-gunners or environmentalists to harass gun clubs out of existence. Whether or not the legislation succeeds in Connecticut, its introduction is certainly a harbinger of things to come in our own states. Keep your eyes and ears open. The Feds Will Make the Rules – Will You Like Them? You may wonder what the following has to do with gun rights, but bear with me. It’s only an example: Members from New Jersey may be aware that their state is almost certainly going to adopt a saltwater fishing license in the near future. That is being forced by the federal government. My understanding is that the only thing delaying its implementation is the need to make sure the license requirements conform to federal dictates. All coastal states will be in the process of adopting saltwater licenses. See: http://www.newhampshire.com/article.aspx?headline=N.J.+considers+saltwater+registry+to+meet+ federal+requirement&articleid=2686 Now, what that has to do with gun rights: Pending in the U.S. House is H.R.197, National Rightto- Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009 “to provide a national standard in accordance with which nonresidents of a State may carry concealed firearms in the State.” What it is, is a “National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill,” allowing anyone with a permit from any state to carry concealed weapons in every other state. It is being almost universally hailed by gun rights organizations (NRA, GOA, et al) as a good bill to get behind. In my opinion, that is incredibly naïve. If federal legislation is going to dictate that every state must honor every other state’s permits, it will very shortly result in demands from anti-gun states that the feds establish minimum standards for their issuance – as exist for drivers licenses, auto emissions inspections, and saltwater fishing licenses. That may not sound so bad if you’re from New Jersey, where it presently is almost impossible to get a concealed carry permit under any condition, but if you are from Pennsylvania, which to date has one of the best “shall issue” laws in the country, it will almost certainly mean additional onerous requirements that we don’t have now. Concealed carry and reciprocity laws are best fought for at a state-by-state level, so that our freest states can keep their own hard-won freedoms. ------- Send news and comments to me anytime: andy.barniskis@FTRPA.com |
