Reciprocity vote coming up. E mail senators

[Fordmechanic]

Here's my letter. Copy and paste it if you want.


Senator, please be reminded that in regards to the upcoming reciprocity vote that Conceald Carry Permit Holders have gone through an extensive background check and are some of the safest citizens and law abiding people that I know. Remember the criminals don't care about permits and paperwork, but the CC permit holders go above and beyond for their ability to have the right to defend themselves in time of need. Please consider this opinion and thousands of others of like minded people when voting on this issue. Sincerely. Brian Burkett

[VBshooter]

Will do Brian,,They're on the way,,It will interesting to watch this one.The carry portion is an amendment to the Defense bill so it's gonna be a rough ride I think for it not to get stripped out or if it does get o The Great One? he will probably use the line item veto to pay us back for the National Parks carry.

[zephyp]

I dont know. Obama probably realizes he needs to pander somewhat to gun owners. He may throw us another bone. Having said that, this is one issue I'd rather see the states take up. The less fed involvement the better. Obama may sign it based on that thought alone - more federal control.

[VBshooter]

There is a good chance that certain Democrats will attempt a fillibuster, It;s a showdown on both sides of the aisle and inside the parties..But even if it passed the only thing the fed would have is that state to state reciprocity ,, so if it went bogus the states could easily revert back to the old system. THe thing isn;t a free pass, you would still have to obey each states individual laws and there in could cause a buttload of problems with states like MD,MA,NY,CA,and other gun restrictive states. So it will be a good watch to see just how the boneheads in Congress handle it,,,

[zephyp]

They are indeed boneheads. I like that.

[OakRidgeStars]

The measure failed to pass the Senate today by a vote of 58-39, two votes shy of the required 60 required for approval.

[wbtrunx]

I'm torn on this issue.
While having as many people legally carry as possible is good, stepping on states' rights is not.
25 states already recognize VA CHPs in some form or fashion.

While the 2A gives us the right to bear arms without infringement, the need for a CHP can be seen as one already.
I like it for the fact that it requires people to atleast have the proper training in order to conceal carry. In addition,
typically, if a state doesn't allow concealed, they allow open and visa versa. The exception being Illinois. Only Alaska
and Vermont have unrestricted concealed and open carry, which would seem like a staunch adherence to the "shall not be infringed" part.
Anyway, I like knowing that if someone is legally carrying concealed, they know how to use their piece of machinery.

The other big issue is, if we allow the federal government to control how concealed licenses work, just imagine where the anti-gunists (like my word?) will take it from there.
If someone lives in a states where they don't like certain laws, regulations, taxes, etc, they are more than free to move to another that aligns more with what they are looking for. If Federal is in control, then there's nowhere to go but out of the country.

[allingeneral]

From VSSA: The Thune Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390) failed this
afternoon on a vote of 58-39, lacking the required 60 votes to invoke cloture.
There were more than enough votes to pass the amendment but those opposing the amendment
decided to filibuster the vote - thus requiring 60 votes for passage. Virginia's
Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb both voted with gun owners and our right to self
defense and voted for the amendment. Please be sure to contact Senators Warner
and Webb and thank them for standing with law abiding gun owners.

[Vorkosigan]

Just sent some thank you feedback to both senators.

[VBshooter]

It did much better than I thought it would, Even Warner and Webb went in on it,,But for some reason I have this uneasy feeling about this amendment but I did support it . Maybe due to the fact that it makes some states laws null and void, That touches on Federalism to me,,,, Probably just government distrust on my part.. There has been a lot of that going around lately,,, If the Supreme Court takes the NRA vs. Chicago this fall that will be a real opener regarding states and localities,,,I would love to see Illinois and Wisconsin have to heave to and drop all their anti gun laws and be brought up to snuff with the rest of the country,

[baz]

While having as many people legally carry as possible is good, stepping on states' rights is not. 25 states already recognize VA CHPs in some form or fashion.
...
If we allow the federal government to control how concealed licenses work, just imagine where the anti-gunists (like my word?) will take it from there.
If someone lives in a states where they don't like certain laws, regulations, taxes, etc, they are more than free to move to another that aligns more with what they are looking for. If Federal is in control, then there's nowhere to go but out of the country.

I completely agree. The idea of national reciprocity is great, but this (through Federal control) is not the way to obtain it. States should follow KY's reciprocity (if you have a permit from another state then you can CC in KY--just follow their laws).

[zephyp]

Good point, Rick. We must send them thank you notes. This is important. We can't just beat them up when they do something we don't like and never show appreciation for a good job.

[Rxtroll]

I sent thank you emails to both Webb and Warner.
Rxtroll

[zephyp]

Here's a very good article concerning the recent vote. Very well written IMO.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/07/ ... led-carry/

[allingeneral]

Here's an email that I just received from Senator Warner in response to this amendment.

Dear Mr. xxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting me about Senate Amendment (S. Amdt.) 1618 regarding concealed carry permits. I appreciate the benefit of your views on this amendment.

On July 16, 2009, Senator John Thune (R-SD) introduced S. Amdt. 1618 to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (S. 1390). The amendment would have allowed gun owners who have concealed carry permits from the state in which they reside to carry their firearms into other states, as long as they comply with the laws of that state and meet federal standards. I supported S. Amdt. 1618 because I believe it was consistent with the Second Amendment Constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. I also believe that federal law, combined with Virginia's strong permitting process and other restrictions, would have precluded this change from weakening the Commonwealth's current concealed carry law. In addition, Virginia already has a form of reciprocity regarding concealed carry permits with 25 other states.

With respect to gun control generally, I realize that there are very strong opinions on both sides of the debate around Second Amendment rights. I support public policies that ensure the responsible and appropriate use of guns, as well as efforts to reduce gun-related crimes through increased enforcement and background checks. I recently supported full funding of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the only national database that flags individuals who are precluded under current law from purchasing or possessing firearms.

Again, thank you for writing. As we move forward in the 111th Congress, please continue to be in touch with your opinions and concerns.


Sincerely,
MARK R. WARNER
United States Senator

[Dragonfly]

Me got same thing, only mine said Dear Mr. xyz

[zephyp]

Same here. At least they voted for it.