Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Republican-controlled state legislatures should take advantage of their majorities to ensure the rights of American citizens — particularly the right to keep and bear arms.
The GOP controls 33 governorships and 32 state legislatures.
Two such states, North Carolina and Michigan, have bills to expand gun rights. North Carolina seeks to remove the permit requirement to carry concealed guns and to take gun safety courses for the permit. That would remove a hurdle to residents’ right to keep and bear arms. From Fox Business:
It is already legal to openly carry a firearm in North Carolina.
The NRA supports the bill, while numerous activist groups have voiced opposition. On Monday, anti-gun advocacy groups Everytown and North Carolina Moms Demand Action released a poll showing 89 percent of voters in the state favored existing gun laws over the proposed changes.
“We understand keeping common-sense gun laws, like those that call for a permit to carry a concealed loaded handgun in public, are crucial for keeping our streets and families safe. I urge our lawmakers to stand up for the safety of all North Carolinians, and reject House Bill 746,” Kaki McKinney of North Carolina’s chapter of Moms Demand Action said in a statement Monday.
Lawmakers in Michigan also want to remove the carry permit and safety course requirements.
Some states have “constitutional carry,” in which law-abiding residents can buy guns without a license and carry concealed or open without permits.
Photo credit: By Joshuashearn – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
What does law enforcement think about “constitutional carry”? And what does “law abiding” actually mean during a traffic stop when a cop spots a gun under the front seat?