A Gun Grabber’s Worst Nightmare?

Some states honor other states’ concealed-carry handgun laws. Certain states don’t.

For example, a gun owner with a concealed-carry permit in South Carolina is allowed to legally carry his concealed handgun in a majority of states. But California, the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Illinois, and east coast states (except Vermont) don’t honor South Carolina residents’ carry permits — not surprising.

As part of his campaign platform, President-elect Donald Trump proposed an idea that’s practical, though gun grabbers will hate it (PDF):

The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege

A national right to carry a gun would demonstrate the true meaning of the Second Amendment. The right to defend ourselves doesn’t stop at our driveways. Citizens with concealed-carry permits in their states should be able to enter other states without worrying about breaking local laws or giving up a right enshrined in the country’s founding document.

Some gun rights advocates believe the requirement to obtain a carry permit itself is unwarranted. Law-abiding citizens should be allowed to carry open or concealed without government permission. According to GunLaws.com, 11 states don’t require concealed-carry permits, a practice also known as constitutional carry.

Photo credit: By Joshuashearn – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons