Free Republic

A gun law reform bill, HB1116, has been introduced into the South Dakota house.  The bill has 28 co-sponsors.  The house has 70 members, 58 of which are Republicans, and 12 Democrats.   36 votes will be needed to pass the bill.   In the Senate, there are 27 Republicans and 8 Democrats, a bit tighter ratio.   The South Dakota Governor is Dennis Daugaard, who has been in office since 2011.   Governor Daugaard vetoed a constitutional carry bill in 2012, citing concerns of law enforcement officials.   In 2013, Governor Daugaard signed a bill that specifically allowed school districts to...

Constitutional carry has been introduced in New Hampshire by Jeb Bradley(r).  David Boutin and J.R. Hoell are cosponsors.   The bill number is SB116, and is being followed at the nhliberty.org site.  Here is the analysis if the bill: This bill:I. Increases the length of time for which a license to carry a pistol or revolver is valid.II. Allows a person to carry a loaded, concealed pistol or revolver without a license unless such person is otherwise prohibited by New Hampshire statute.III. Requires the director of the division of state police to negotiate and enter into agreements with other jurisdictions...

SB 45 allows those who may legally own a gun to carry it concealed, without a permit.   The bill has 26 co-sponsors.  Only 21 senate votes are needed for passage. The bill changes a number of laws, but the primary effect is to reform the law by removing the requirement to have a concealed carry license in  order to legally carry a handgun concealed.  People in Kansas already have the right to carry handguns openly. From the text of the bill(pdf): (5) possession of a concealed handgun by an individual who islicensed by the attorney general to carry a...

Governor elect Greg Abbot said that he supported open carry when he was running for governor.   Some said that he did not mean it.  Shortly after he was elected, he took the time to re-iterate his support for an open carry reform, saying that he would sign such a reform if it came to him from the legislature.   He said:  If it is good enough for Massachusetts, it is good enough for Texas. “If open carry is good enough for Massachusetts, it's good enough for the state of Texas,” Abbott said. Now he has solidified and expanded his remarks,...

Constitutional Carry Walk in Little Rock, Arkansas An article in Arkansas  Law Notes by Associate Professor Laurent Sacharoff and student Jacob Worlow, expresses their understanding and concern with Act 746 (formerly H.B. 1700), the act that made constitutional carry the law in Arkansas.  The law went into effect in August of 2013. The authors deserve credit.  They clearly state what the law does, rather than attempt to use sleight of hand to discredit it, as did Attorney General McDaniels.   They mention that the vast majority of prosecutors in the state agree with their interpretation of the plain language of...

Senator Lee Bright, Sponsor of the Constitutional Carry Bill South Carolina's up and coming governor, Nikki Haley is in favor of Constitutional Carry (the ability to exercise second amendment rights without first receiving government permission), but the Senate Judiciary Committee shot down the bill anyway.   The Committee's Chairman, Senator Larry Martin,  R-Pickens, is credited with killing the bill last year as well.  He is a fervent opponent of the open carry of firearms.     "You can carry a weapon openly if this bill is adopted and I'm offended by that," said committee chair Sen. Larry Martin (R-Pickens).  South Carolina...

In 2012 a constitutional carry bill died in a subcommittee in South Carolina.  In 2013, constitutional carry was taken on the road, and received major grassroots support.   That bill, S115, made it to the full committee, and is still alive.  In 2014, constitutional carry is bottled up in the South Carolina Senate Judiciary committee meeting.    WLTX reports: Columbia, SC (WLTX) - A bill that would allow South Carolinian's to carry guns without a concealed weapons permit did not make it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. South Carolina is one of five states that does not allow...

Two legislators, Jared Wright (R-Fruita) and Chris Holbert (R-Parker) introduced HB1041.  The measure would remove the requirement to obtain a permit from the state in order to possess concealed weapons.   The same restrictions that now apply to concealed carry permit holders would also apply to people who would be eligible for the permit. The permit system would be retained for those who wish a permit for purposes of reciprocity with other states. Representative Wright said that a permit should not be required to exercise a constitutional right.  From gjsentinel.com: “This is in essence allowing law-abiding citizens to carry a...

Arkansas passed ACT 746, which went into effect on August 16th of this year, (2013).   The act effectively legalizes constitutional carry in Arkansas because it changes the definition of what constitutes the illegal carry of weapons.  The old law did not require any intent;  the new law makes carry of weapons illegal only if the carrier has the intent to illegally use the weapon. AG McDaniel's, a Democrat, issued an opinion that the new law does not allow open carry.  The opinion is nicely dissected by Steve Jones here.  Essentially, the AG simply dodges the real issue, and never addresses...

Gun rights advocates received a big boost yesterday when Arkansas State Representative Nate Bell, R-Mena, gave his opinion that Act 746 will decriminalize open carry on August 16th, 2013, the date it takes effect.Representative Bell was one of many sponsors of HB1700, the enacting bill that passed April 4th, 2013. On a July 16th Facebook post, Bell declares it was the original intent of the sponsors to decriminalize open carry. It was the intent of the sponsors of Act 746 to decriminalize the open carry of a firearm by persons not prohibited from legally possessing the firearm. It’s my belief...

Good news from Arkansascarry.com: In July, 2013, Arkansas will become the fifth state in the United States to enact “Constitutional Carry” into law. Act 746 of the 2013 General Assembly was signed into law by Governor Mike Beebe on April 4th, 2013, after receiving only one “nay” vote from the legislature. Constitutional Carry occurs in a state when no laws exist that generally restrict the carry of handguns (open or concealed) for self-defense purposes. Arkansas law 5-73-120 currently prohibits the possession of a handgun if it is possessed “readily available for use with a purpose to employ the handgun… as...

On 4 April, 2013, Arkansas HB1700 became ACT 746. The revised law will not go into effect until late July or early August of this year. The bill makes a definition change in the statute that has been interpreted to limit the legal carrying of weapons in Arkansas. The original language was this:A person commits the offense of carrying a weapon if he or she possesses a handgun, knife, or club on or about his or her person, in a vehicle occupied by him or her, or otherwise readily available for use with a purpose to employ the handgun,...

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A bill that would allow concealed carry without a permit is shooting toward passage after receiving the Senate's initial endorsement.

In spite of the enormous push for more infringements on citizen’s Second Amendment rights by the old media and their “progressive” legislative allies, several states continue to work toward restoring rights lost in the last century’s growth in governmental power. South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Georgia, Montana, and Nevada all have bills pending that would implement Constitutional, or permitless carry. Utah is the most likely to pass a measure into law first, as veto proof majorities have already passed a bill. It only needs Governor Herbert’s signature to become law. This version varies from other state’s Constitutional carry in that...

SALT LAKE CITY — A showdown between Gov. Gary Herbert and state lawmakers could be coming now that the Utah Legislature has passed a so-called "constitutional carry" gun law. The Senate passed HB76 Wednesday by a vote of 22-7, with all five Democrats and two Republicans voting against it. Although Herbert has stopped short of saying he would veto HB76, he reiterated several times that Utah's gun laws aren't broken and don't need changing. But should he reject the bill, the Legislature could override his veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The measure passed by more than a two-thirds majority...

Constitutional Carry may soon be coming to North Carolina. Long ridiculed by outsiders as the “Massachusetts of Dixie” because of our restrictive (by Southern standards) gun control laws, North Carolina is poised to take its place among the leaders in gun rights reform. Sources, which I can’t divulge, have made it clear that Constitutional Carry is on the radar. We can expect to see some concrete movement in the New Year. While the Federal elections were disappointing for gun owners, North Carolina, coming off a historic Republican led redistricting plan, has turned the entire State government over to the Republican...

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Citing a spate of violence that included the shooting death of a police chief, New Hampshire's Senate killed a bill Wednesday that would make permits optional to carry concealed, loaded guns anyplace where gun possession is legal. The Senate voted 17-7 to table the House-passed bill that Gov. John Lynch had promised to veto. Senate President Peter Bragdon said no further action is expected on the bill this session. Under the bill, gun owners could still have gotten permits so they could travel to states with reciprocal permit agreements. The bill also would have increased from...

House Bill 536, important permitless carry legislation, is scheduled for consideration by the state Senate today. Introduced by state Representative J.R. Hoell (R-13), this Right-to-Carry legislation would repeal the existing law that requires a person to have a concealed firearm license in order to carry concealed. However, HB 536 would not eliminate the current carry permitting system, which will still be required for those who wish to 1) participate in reciprocal concealed carry permit agreements when traveling to other states, 2) be protected in "gun-free school zones" and 3) be exempt from NICS when purchasing a firearm. In New Hampshire,...

This is it! The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Constitutional Carry on Thursday, April 26th! Unfortunately the lying politicians in Concord are ready to follow through with their threats to kill Constitutional Carry. Inside sources are now saying that the next scheduled vote on HB-536 is only a part of a scheme to kill it. Yep, that’s right. Despite SIGNED pledges to support and pass Constitutional Carry from a majority of the Senate — Republican Senator Peter Bragdon is still leading the anti-gun crusade at the capitol. He’s even ready to take a page out of former...

As you may know, TTAG commentator Greg responded to a Valentine’s Day Starbucks boycott by the National Gun Victims Action Council by organizing a BUYcott. He’s asking gun owners to reward Starbucks for its letter-of-the-law firearms policy by buying a beverage or food item with a two dollar bill (a suggestion made by NukemJim, the bill representing the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms) on the 14th of Feb. Not forgetting to “thank the clerk for Starbucks’ support of the Constitution.” Ahead of Starbuck’s Appreciation Day–which has already well and truly gone viral—our own Tim Tritt contacted the...