When we recently reported on a federal measure that would grant eligible veterans and active-duty military personnel nationwide concealed-carry privileges, effectively overriding state-level restrictions that can differ significantly from one jurisdiction to another, we noted that the bill could face pushback from pro-gun advocates.
Boy, were we ever right!
The measure, the Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act, applied specifically to special operations-type military personnel and veterans, and the author, Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-North Carolina, touted those personnel’s credentials to carry a firearm for self-defense. However, some in the pro-gun community believe the legislation slights the average American citizen, whose right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment just as much as those special forces veterans who are being singled out in the measure.
One such was Rob Maness, writing for Amac.com, the website of the conservative-leaning Association for Mature American Citizens (AMAC), an alternative to the liberal American Association for Retired Persons (AARP). In an April 22 Op-Ed titled “Dear Republicans, Don’t Create a Two-Tiered Second Amendment,” Maness encouraged Republicans to drop the idea.
“As a veteran and avid Second Amendment advocate, you would probably think that I enthusiastically support such legislation,” Maness wrote. “But here’s why the bill could actually end up hurting Americans’ constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms—and why Republicans shouldn’t create a two-tiered Second Amendment.”
Maness went on to explain his main problem with the legislation, which he acknowledges was introduced by Rep. Harrigan with only positive intent.
“Mr. Harrigan’s heart is no doubt in the right place,” Maness wrote. “Veterans should indeed have the right to carry a firearm throughout the country—but so should everybody else. Carving out a special class of citizens who are supposedly more qualified or entitled to exercise their Second Amendment freedoms implies that there are other classes of citizens who are somehow less entitled to the same rights.”
That, Maness explained, isn’t consistent with the right of “the people” recognized in the Second Amendment to not be infringed.
“I say this as an American who has been formally qualified to bear arms,” he continued. “I am an expert marksman through various combat programs in the military, and I currently hold a lifetime concealed carry permit. I’ve trained with some of the finest warriors this nation has ever produced, including special operations forces whose courage and skill I respect without reservation.
“But respect for our elite veterans does not mean I will stand silent while Congress carves out special privileges that treat the Second Amendment as a government favor instead of what it is: an unalienable right belonging to We the People. Anything less is fundamentally at odds with the Constitution I swore to defend.”
Ultimately, Maness concluded that there’s a simple answer to the patchwork of concealed carry laws across states. But the current legislation is not that solution.
“The right solution is simple and constitutional: full constitutional carry across all 50 states,” he concluded. “No more begging states for permission slips. No more special clubs. The same standard that applies to driving a car across state lines with a valid license should apply to exercising a right explicitly protected by the Bill of Rights…
“Republican members of Congress would be better served using their platforms instead to push for legislation that recognizes the Second Amendment applies equally to all of us.”