John Thune

Posted: July 22nd 2009

In an op-ed for USA Today, Sen. John Thune discusses his bipartisan amendment allowing induviduals to carry lawfully Concealed Weapons across state borders:

The courts have held that the right to bear arms is a fundamental, individual right under our Constitution. My bipartisan amendment supported by more than 25 senators would ensure that right does not end at the state line, by allowing individuals to carry lawfully concealed weapons across state borders, while at the same time respecting the laws of the host state.

Misunderstandings about this amendment are rampant, fueled by interest groups and lobbyists predicting a return to the Wild West. The truth is far less exciting. If it becomes law, this bipartisan amendment will apply only to people who are not prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm. It will not allow for carrying a concealed weapon into any state or area that chooses not to permit concealed carry. In fact, it will require full compliance with all of the laws of the state in which the firearm would be carried. It will not nullify state laws governing the places and manner in which weapons can be carried, and it will not be an end run around any state law.

In the decades that concealed carry permits have been issued by the states, permit holders have demonstrated that they are overwhelmingly law-abiding and responsible in the exercise of their rights. Surely it is not a coincidence that while the number of privately owned guns in this country is at an all-time high, violent crime rates are at historical lows. It is estimated that there are more than 5 million conceal carry permit holders in the U.S., and that thousands of crimes are thwarted or deterred every year as a result. When criminals don't know whether their victim might be armed, they are far less likely to strike. Which is exactly why this amendment makes so much sense.

The rhetoric of some gun control advocates may be overheated, but the record is clear. This amendment, like previous bipartisan legislation on allowing firearms in national parks subject to state laws, strikes the right balance between individual and states' rights. Like that earlier law, this amendment would strengthen our citizens' Second Amendment rights.