Senate Rejects Controversial Concealed Weapons Measure

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DebS

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Senators voted for the measure, 58-39, but it fell short of the required 60 votes for passage in an unusual setback for the gun rights side, which has been able to muster majorities of Republicans and pro-gun Democrats to move its agenda through both the Bush and Obama administrations.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate sided with gun control advocates Wednesday by rejecting a measure that would have allowed people with concealed weapons permits to carry those hidden weapons across state borders.

Senators voted for the measure, 58-39, but it fell short of the required 60 votes for approval, based on a procedural agreement between Senate leaders.

It is an unusual setback for the gun rights side, which has been able to muster majorities of Republicans and pro-gun Democrats to move its agenda through both the Bush and Obama administrations.

Opponents say the concealed weapon proposal would force states with tough gun laws to accept gun-carrying visitors from states with weaker laws. The sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said that was not true and that gun-toters would have to follow the laws of the state they entered.

The gun proposal did not establish national standards for concealed weapons permits and would not have allowed those with permits to carry weapons into Wisconsin and Illinois, the two states that do not have concealed weapons laws.

Gun control groups were strongly in opposition.

So far this year gun rights advocates have had some successes in Congress. They attached a provision to a credit card bill signed into law that restores the right to carry loaded firearms in national parks, and coupled a Senate vote giving the District of Columbia a vote in the House with a provision effectively ending the district's tough gun control laws.

House Democratic leaders, unable to detach the two issues without losing the support of pro-gun Democrats, abandoned attempts to pass the D.C. vote bill.

The vote comes a day after the Senate completed what is probably the most controversial issue connected to the defense bill, voting 58-40 to eliminate $1.75 billion in the $680 billion bill that had been set aside for building more F-22 fighters. President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates campaigned hard for removing the money, saying the Pentagon had enough F-22s and the money could be spent on more pressing defense needs.

:angry3:

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Let's remember who voted NAY on this bill come VOTING TIME!!!

Particularly Lugar (R-IN), Voinovich (R-OH).

The vote.
 

omegis13

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Me personally, I'm glad this one was shot down. Even if it would be to the benefit of my interests, the feds have no business on this one. It really erks me that BOTH of the major parties play the state's rights card only when it suits them one day, yet have no problem trampling the rights of the states and individuals the next day. Would I like to see all of the states honor every other states' CCW permit? Absolutely! But the feds have no business pushing the issue to force it. If the states are allowed to work it out amongst themselves, eventually the issue will be resolved.
 

h8ns8n

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Me personally, I'm glad this one was shot down. Even if it would be to the benefit of my interests, the feds have no business on this one. It really erks me that BOTH of the major parties play the state's rights card only when it suits them one day, yet have no problem trampling the rights of the states and individuals the next day. Would I like to see all of the states honor every other states' CCW permit? Absolutely! But the feds have no business pushing the issue to force it. If the states are allowed to work it out amongst themselves, eventually the issue will be resolved.

I thought the 2nd amm. was an American right. by what you are saying then a state has the right to ban guns which I think is wrong. Maybe I am just unclear on who should have the say on this issue...
 

omegis13

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I thought the 2nd amm. was an American right. by what you are saying then a state has the right to ban guns which I think is wrong. Maybe I am just unclear on who should have the say on this issue...

This isn't about the second amendment, this is about forcing states to honor other state's system of issuance for CCW permits.

Now to me, the ideal set of laws would prohibit national, state, or local restrictions on the type of small arms owned, registration of weapons, "special taxes" on them, and prohibition of open carry. As for CCW, I'm on the fence whether a person has a right to conceal a firearm or not. A right to carry openly? Absolutely!, but historically, there are a number of reasons that I can see CCW not necessarily being justified as something people simply have a right to do, but that's my opinion (and SCOTUS's if you read Heller).

The states that have a CCW permit system have different ideas of what they find to be an acceptable background for allowing you to carry a concealed weapon. Some say you must be a celebrity/really rich/politically connected, some say you can never have a drug conviction, some just say you only need to be able to legally own a firearm. Do I agree with all of these standards? No. Personally, I'd like to see more states handle it like Alaska and Vermont, but I respect that historically and legally, carrying a concealed weapon has been a privilege.
 
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