Al's Morning Meeting

The U.S. Senate is considering an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act that would allow anyone who has a concealed carry permit (CCP) to carry a concealed weapon in any state that issues CCPs, which is most states.

The Violence Policy Center (VPC), an anti-gun violence group, explained that Amendment 1618 "would create a de facto national concealed carry system, overriding the rights of states with more restrictive laws governing the carrying of concealed handguns."

The National Rifle Association has provided some additional background:

"While the right to possess firearms for self-defense within the home has long been respected under the law, for most of our nation's history, state and local governments have prohibited ordinary citizens from possessing firearms for self-defense in many settings outside the home. Recently, however, most state legislatures have taken steps to reduce those restrictions. In the last twenty years, the number of states that respect the right to carry has risen from 10 to 40 -- an all-time high.

"Now is the time for Congress to acknowledge these changes in state laws and recognize that the right to self-defense does not end at state lines. Under the Thune-Vitter amendment, an individual who has met the requirements for a carry permit, or who is otherwise allowed by his home state's state law to carry a firearm, would be authorized to carry a firearm for protection in any other state that issues such permits, subject to the laws of the state in which the firearm is carried.

"Contrary to 'states' rights' claims from opponents who usually favor sweeping federal gun control, the amendment is a legitimate exercise of Congress's constitutional power to protect the fundamental rights of citizens (including the right to keep and bear arms and the right of personal mobility). States would still have the authority to regulate the time, place and manner in which handguns are carried."

The Brady Campaign, which often pushes for stronger gun laws, has argued that Amendment 1618 to the Defense Authorization Act would "endanger public safety and make it more difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs."

In timing with the news about the amendment, the VPC has released a new study that says "concealed handgun permit holders killed at least seven police officers and 44 private citizens in 31 incidents between May 2007 and April 2009."

VPC said its new study "... offers detailed descriptions of the 31 incidents, which occurred in 15 states. Law enforcement officers were killed in: Florida, Idaho, Ohio (two incidents), and Pennsylvania (two incidents). Private citizens were killed in: Alabama, Colorado, Florida (nine incidents), Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina (two incidents), Ohio (three incidents), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah (two incidents), and Virginia."