by CBS ran a story this weekend on the growth in concealed carry permits in El Paso County, Colorado. Sheriff Terry Maketa says he believes in them and signs an average of 85 permits a week. El Paso County has the highest percentage of CCWs per capita in the state of Colorado.
Of course in the interest of providing balance, CBS’s Jeff Glor had to interview Dan Gross of the Brady Campaign. Gross’s comments were interesting.
Forty nine states, every one except Illinois, have some form of concealed carry but not all require permits, including Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming. There is no national database on who has the weapons, something Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, thinks needs to change.
“I am willing to accept that the majority of concealed carry permit holders are law-abiding citizens,” said Gross. “That’s not where this debate or conversation needs to be. It needs to be on the percentage that are not.”
So Dan Gross believes that there should be a national database of concealed carry holders which is publicly accessible. Hmm, that sounds just like the databases of convicted sex offenders. Will CCW holders be required to notify their neighbors that they hold a permit? Will you be able to go online and pull up all CCW holders within a certain distance from your home? Will permit holders need to get the permission of authorities if they want to change their residences? Will permit holders by banned through zoning of residing in certain areas of a town because it is too close to a school?
I’m sure the Brady Campaign would deny that they want concealed carry permit holders to be treated just the same as convicted sex offenders. Nonetheless, a public, national registry would have a similar impact and that would make the gun prohibitionists very happy.
Some risk adverse crooks may look at such a list as a "do not call list.". Others would only show up armed, more than likeythe list would be used for public vetting by the Brady's and the media… At least as dep as they went with Obama.
@Balloon Goes Up: I think such a list could be used by crooks as a "do not call" list as you suggest but also used a shopping list by others. You have a permit therefore you have a gun and probably more than one.
Guilty until proved innocent is not the American way Dan. Just the opposite – because bearing arms is a right not a privilege. 70% of Americans live the "new normal" – shall issue concealed carry (or [horrors!] constitutional carry) under existing state laws. Self-defense is a human right Danny, and we're not going to let you change that.
He supposedly wants to concentrate on the small percentage that later break the law and misuse their firearm. We have some things for that; they're called the existing laws against assault, rape and murder. These laws are on the books already and they apply whether you use a firearm or not. We punish bad behavior, not an inanimate object. So, if he can predict with 100% certainty who is going to become a criminal at a later date, I would love to know how he established the Bureau of Pre-Crime (a la Minority Report). This guy is a struggling to support the untenable arguments of the gun control advocates.
Registration leads to confiscation. See Germany, North Korea, China, Turkey, Australia, Great Britain, and so on. Registration could also lead to the other suggested abuses like employment dismissals, threats, zoning ordinances, false arrests, stigmatization and criminal targeting.
Don't let these cowards dictate that we disarm. only your enemy wants you disarmed. Don't let them push their agenda to set up the next genocide. No compromise with them. None of their "common sense" gun laws work for their stated purpose, so that leaves only stupidity or malice on their part.
Never Again!
Molon Labe!
Hit the nail on the head..
Molon labe
Welcome to NV. Not only does the state have such a data base but requires others to have it to gain reciprocity. The whole process has been outsourced to the police who are not overly friendly to the concept, especially in Clark County.
Well, here in Texas, someone I know VERY personally (and have since I was born) just acquired a beautiful Remington 700 SPS Tactical .308 with a nice 4.5 x 14 mildot tactical scope. It is known as the "Temple Tapper" and is designed to be used against blue-helemted Kevlar-coated varmints.