Feb 19 2015

Poliquin Announces Co-Sponsorship of Reciprocity Bill

As per TMCV’s announcement last night, this morning the office of Congressman Bruce Poliquin issued a press release detailing his co-sponsorship of H.R.986.  This bill is similar to Senate Bill sponsored by Texas Senator John Cornyn which attempts to standardize reciprocity between States which have a concealed carry permit system for firearms. With the push for constitutional carry nationwide, States and the Feds are wrestling with the complexities of State sovereignty and the impact Constitutional Carry has on reciprocity across the Country,

Feb 18 2015

This Just In

Sources within Congressman Poliquin’s office have informed TMCV that tomorrow morning Poliquin will announce that he is an original co-sponsor of a bill, H.R. 986, “To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a means by which nonresidents of a State whose residents may carry concealed firearms may also do so in the State.” This bill is similar to a bill in the Senate, sponsored by John Cornyn of Texas. These bills attempt to provide reciprocity for all the States that have concealed carry laws.

TMCV was able to obtain this information after we contacted the Congressman in regards to the column I posted this morning analyzing the Constitutional Carry bill, which is being sponsored by Senator Eric Brakey, where I referenced Senator Cornyn’s bill at the National level. I asked Poliquin if he supported Cornyn’s bill. He replied that he did. That it was, in his words, a “no brainer”.

Soon afterwards TMCV received information from Poliquin’s staff on H.R. 986, his original sponsorship, and the bones of the bill. The bill, which is endorsed by the NRA, seeks to ensure that “ valid concealed carry permits issued in one State are for carrying concealed handguns in other States that recognize their own residents’ right to concealed carry”. The language in H.R. 986 works to protect the sovereignty of each State to deal with its own permits and regulations for firearms. The bill contains The Firearm’s Protection Act that protects citizens from unwarranted arrest, putting a clear burden on the State to show that the person did not comply with the law. This bill would also make Concealed Carry a judicially enforceable act, a civil right. It would also award attorney and court fees to plaintiffs and defendants, who win their cases, and provides opportunity for persons unjustly arrested to sue for damages.

Look for the formal announcement on Poliquin’s website tomorrow morning.

Feb 18 2015

Reciprocity

Maine Senator Eric Brakey has introduced a Bill to the legislature that would make Maine a Constitutional Carry State. The idea behind this measure is an idea I support. Still, this bill must be approached carefully as to avoid unintended consequences, specifically in the area of reciprocity.

To date, Maine is an Open Carry State. This means a resident of Maine may carry a firearm exposed on their person without a permit. A resident may not carry a concealed firearm in this State without a permit. Senator Brakey’s bill would eliminate the need for a permit to conceal a firearm in the State of Maine.

Reciprocity is a political and legal term, which refers to process to where States honor, uphold, and enforce laws from other States within their sovereign borders. For gun owners, it means that possessing a concealed weapons permit in Maine also means that they can carry a concealed weapon in a State that reciprocates, or honors that permit. Therein lies the rub for gun owners in the State of Maine.

If Maine simply changes to a Constitutional Carry State, legislators may unwittingly nullify reciprocity for the many concealed weapon permit holders in Maine, who use their permits in their travels to other States. This makes them vulnerable to prosecution now in States that do not reciprocate Constitutional Carry in their borders. Hopefully, Senator Brakey has addressed this in his legislation.

If not, there is a simple solution. Amend the bill so it continues to allow for the Concealed Weapon process should the resident choose to apply, thereby maintaining reciprocity with those States that honor the permit. Clearly stipulate in the language that Constitutional Carry applies only to the borders of the State of Maine and its residents by their choice.

Common Sense dictates that not all States will agree with our stance on Constitutional Carry. With John Cornyn of Texas proposing legislation that will standardize reciprocity for concealed weapon permits for all 50 States, it is important that we maintain a pathway that allows Maine residents to provide for their personal defense wherever they may travel. A measured and thoughtful approach, as always, will yield the best solution for the people of Maine. Let’s Set Maine Free!

Feb 16 2015

Seashells by the Seashore

The Roman Army was gathered on the banks of the English Channel poised to invade Britannia. What happened next is one of the most perplexing moments in world history. The Emperor Caligula ordered his troops to dismount and pick up seashells in their tunics and helmets. These he brought back as trophies to Rome as spoils for conquering the sea.

Caligula’s brief four-year reign was as complicated as trying to find the facts of his reign, a convoluted web of paranoia, perversion, and psychosis. It highlights Rome’s political decline from within, as it still pursued its empirical conquest of the world. Caligula did much to accelerate this decline, due in large part to his inability to except criticism, his broadening of the Emperor’s powers, and the brutal obsession with his own selfish ambition.

Many are troubled by the direction our great Nation is headed. Recent events have only magnified the trepidation that so many feel. With all that faces the United States and the gravity of world events, our President seems to be content with picking seashells and conquering the ocean.

Two horrific tragedies have occurred in the War on Terror recently, which shocked and appalled us all. One was the burning alive of brave young Jordanian pilot. The other was the murder of a young humanitarian aid worker from the United States, Kayla Mueller. The leader of Jordan, King Abdullah, responded by strapping on a flight suit to lead a squadron of F-16s on strike against ISIS. The leader of the United States responded by strapping on a selfie-stick and taking pictures of himself, sticking his tongue out at himself, in a mirror. The White House posted these pictures, as they put it, to present an approachable, softer side of the President.

Theodore Roosevelt once accused the sitting President in his day of having the “backbone of an éclair”. I’m not sure what Roosevelt would have thought of this President’s backbone and I’m not sure how much the White House thinks they need to soften the President, but I think we have reached invertebrate status in the Oval Office. Yes, we may have found Darwin’s missing link.

Sarcasm aside, when this President cannot find the courage to admit that twenty-one Egyptian Christians publicly martyred for their faith are… Christians, then there is no leader in Washington. When the Egyptians respond to this gruesome mass murder with an air strike and our President goes golfing, there is no leader in Washington.   President Obama is transfixed and obsessed with the seashells on the seashore and it is destroying our Nation.