To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Each State to Honor All Others (US Constitution, Article IV, Section 1)
We, the undersigned, request our elected representatives to cosponsor H.R.822, National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 and vote affirmatively for this bill when it comes up for a vote. There are clear and undeniable U.S. Constitutional provisions that support this measure. Recent Supreme Court decisions have affirmed individual rights under Amendment II of the U.S. Constitution. In addition, this bill is required for the Federal Government to fulfill its constitutional obligation, on this matter, under Section 5, Amendment XIV.
Why is this important?
As of the date of this email there are 243 sponsors and cosponsors of H.R. 822 ,which represents 55.9% of the votes in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is interesting to note that there are 193 Democratic and 242 Republican Representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives; yet only 34 (17.6%) of the Democratic Representatives are cosponsors of H.R. 822 while 209 (86.4%) of the Republican Representatives are sponsors/cosponsors. This is very consistent with the voting records of the members of Congress where all Representatives vote along party lines at least 85% of the time. I thought that in the U.S.A. we elect candidates that will represent their constituents and support the US Constitution rather than a political party position. I urge all Representatives to fulfill their obligations under the oath of office they took under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution as regards Amendment II of the U.S. Constitution and support H.R. 822 rather than adhere to a strong party discipline such as seen in Westminster Parliamentary governments and in Communist Party governments.
Discussion:
Currently there are eleven (11) states that do not recognize concealed weapons carry permits issued by any other states in violation of Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States. (CA, CT, HI, IL MA, MD, NJ, NY, OR, RI, & WI) Of these one (IL) does not have any provisions for issuing concealed weapons carry permits and does not allow concealed weapons carry. Conversely, there are eleven (11) states that honor all other states' concealed weapons carry permits in compliance with Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States. (AK, AZ, IA, ID, IN, MI, MO, OK, SD, TN, & UT). One state (VT) does not require a permit for concealed weapons carry and therefore does not issue concealed weapons carry permits. The remaining twenty-seven (27) states recognize some other states' concealed weapons carry permits but do not recognize other states' concealed weapons carry permits, again in violation of Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States. These remaining 27 states are also not consistent with each other thus creating a mind-numbing and constantly changing environment for travelers with valid state issued permits for concealed weapons carry. In some states, you can not even possess a handgun without a permit and permits are only issued to residents with a “demonstrated need”; effectively violating residents' U.S. Constitutional, 2nd Amendment rights . We should have the right to protect ourselves in any state while traveling or on vacation. All but one state have passed concealed carry laws because the right to self-defense does not end when one leaves their home. However, as listed earlier, interstate recognition of those permits is not uniform, is in violation of the U.S. Constitution, and creates great confusion and potential safety and legal problems for the traveler. H.R. 822 would solve this problem by requiring that lawfully issued carry permits be recognized in accordance with Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States, while being subject to the same conditions or limitations that apply to residents of the State who have the least restricted permits issued by the State or are otherwise lawfully allowed to do so by the State. It would authorize a person who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state to carry a concealed handgun in another state in accordance with the restrictions applied to the least restricted concealed carry permit of that state. This provision protects the ability of the various states to determine the conditions of concealed carry, much like they determine their individual state traffic laws. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; rather, it would require the states to recognize each others' carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards.
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Applicable portions of The United States Constitution
Article IV - The States, Section 1 - Each State to Honor all others.
Article VI - Debts, Supremacy, Oaths
AMENDMENT II
AMENDMENT XIV, Section 1, and Section 5
Discussion:
Currently there are eleven (11) states that do not recognize concealed weapons carry permits issued by any other states in violation of Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States. (CA, CT, HI, IL MA, MD, NJ, NY, OR, RI, & WI) Of these one (IL) does not have any provisions for issuing concealed weapons carry permits and does not allow concealed weapons carry. Conversely, there are eleven (11) states that honor all other states' concealed weapons carry permits in compliance with Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States. (AK, AZ, IA, ID, IN, MI, MO, OK, SD, TN, & UT). One state (VT) does not require a permit for concealed weapons carry and therefore does not issue concealed weapons carry permits. The remaining twenty-seven (27) states recognize some other states' concealed weapons carry permits but do not recognize other states' concealed weapons carry permits, again in violation of Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States. These remaining 27 states are also not consistent with each other thus creating a mind-numbing and constantly changing environment for travelers with valid state issued permits for concealed weapons carry. In some states, you can not even possess a handgun without a permit and permits are only issued to residents with a “demonstrated need”; effectively violating residents' U.S. Constitutional, 2nd Amendment rights . We should have the right to protect ourselves in any state while traveling or on vacation. All but one state have passed concealed carry laws because the right to self-defense does not end when one leaves their home. However, as listed earlier, interstate recognition of those permits is not uniform, is in violation of the U.S. Constitution, and creates great confusion and potential safety and legal problems for the traveler. H.R. 822 would solve this problem by requiring that lawfully issued carry permits be recognized in accordance with Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States, while being subject to the same conditions or limitations that apply to residents of the State who have the least restricted permits issued by the State or are otherwise lawfully allowed to do so by the State. It would authorize a person who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state to carry a concealed handgun in another state in accordance with the restrictions applied to the least restricted concealed carry permit of that state. This provision protects the ability of the various states to determine the conditions of concealed carry, much like they determine their individual state traffic laws. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; rather, it would require the states to recognize each others' carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards.
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Applicable portions of The United States Constitution
Article IV - The States, Section 1 - Each State to Honor all others.
Article VI - Debts, Supremacy, Oaths
AMENDMENT II
AMENDMENT XIV, Section 1, and Section 5