Covered at Reason 24/7: Despite Focus on Gun Restrictions, More States Move To Loosen Laws
Almost all of the media attention is on states like New York, Connecticut, Colorado and Maryland that have moved to restrict self-defense rights by making it harder to legally own and use firearms. But some scribblers at the West Coast's dear old newspaper of (scratchy) sort-of record peeked up over their cubicle walls and noticed something unexpected: Even more states are moving to protect the right to bear arms, and even to loosen restrictions on guns. Howdatappen? As reporters Mark Z. Barabak and Melanie Mason put it, "[t]he result is a significant disparity between states — some side by side — as President Obama pushes for new federal gun controls." Not just a significant disparity, you should note, but a growing divergence in the legal treatment of self-defense rights at the state level.
From the Los Angeles Times:
The first state to act after December's Sandy Hook shooting was New York, where Republicans control the Senate and Democrats the Assembly. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, worked with lawmakers of both parties to pass a sweeping bill that beefed up the state's ban on assault-style weapons and required universal background checks.
Other states have moved in the opposite direction, loosening restrictions on gun ownership and increasing the number of places where firearms are permitted. Many have Republican governors, a Republican-run statehouse or both.
In Michigan and Ohio, lawmakers have made it easier to obtain a gun. Arkansas, Maine and Mississippi have passed laws to protect the privacy of gun owners. Wyoming enacted legislation allowing judges to carry weapons in the courtroom, and South Dakota passed a law authorizing school employees to carry guns on the job.
More than a dozen other states are considering legislation that would enhance gun rights, including Texas, North Carolina, Missouri and Georgia.
As you might guess, not all state-level control freaks are happy that their counterparts elsewhere are moving law in a less-authoritarian direction. But, you know, tough shit.
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Well I guess reason can close up shop now, since apparently we’re all now saturated in liberty like Michael Phelps in chlorine and cannabis because a few states have made the 2nd Amendment redundant. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m being aggressively sarcastic for some reason.
In a dystopian future, people will find joy where they can….
/Forward
was New York, where Republicans control the Senate and Democrats the Assembly.
A Republican in New York is a Democrat in Ohio.
A Republican in New York is a radical Maoist anywhere below the Mason-Dixon line.
Generally..
This gun law map is what J.D. is talking about I think —
http://tinyurl.com/bphtdtr
The Deep South is still pretty tough along with the cool Rocky Mountain states like Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. I found it weird that Tennessee apparently has some fairly anti-gun laws. I thought that was the land of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Basically, wherever really educated and rich white people are, watch out, cuz they hate your gun totin’ ass.
What do you folks think are the chances that the NY and CO and CT laws will be overturned by the courts?
Colorado’s legislation has the likeliest chance of repeal, or judicial censure, or both. New York’s has the least. Not sure about CT.
It seems to me that banning the most popular rifles and pistols in the country would be an over-reach.
how’s that? I’d have guessed it’d be the other way around. Is it just because what judicial district’s they’re in?
WHat do you think the chances are the California will pass e bill to require insurance to own a gun and a permit to buy ammo? I guess that might be a silly question as my state of birth is currently run by a fucking supermajority of assholes. Maybe a better question is; what are the chances these laws hold up in court?
I suppose I was focusing more on the “judicial censor” part. NYs law seemed to be a great deal more onerous and much more likely to be overturned.
I really don’t think mandatory insurance will fly.
The ammo permit shouldn’t fly either, but I’m less optimistic on that one.
I ‘am a more than a little disappointed that my ..err.. beloved.. Florida isn’t doing something completely ape-shit, and over the top, on the pro-gun front, I guess Scotts’ heart just isn’t in it…what a dickhead.
Sort of on topic: Breitbart claims to have debunked DHS mass ammo purchase stories.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-G…..kpile-Myth
Now that we’ve settled that matter, everyone should feel comfortable turning their guns in to their local PD right away.
Anyone else see Community tonight?
Looks like Abed found a girlfriend.
I did not, but if it means that girl is going to be on the show frequently, I am OK with this storyline.
Glacial ice in the Peruvian Andes that took at least 1,600 years to form melted in just 25 years.
Leave it to the NYT dumbasses to feel nostalgic about old ice.
FTA:”In Michigan and Ohio, lawmakers have made it easier to obtain a gun.”
??
Does anyone know what form this took in Michigan? I know the state House/Senate passed a bill to remove Michigan’s pistol registration (and I think reduce some of the concealed carry license requirements) but Rick Snyder vetoed it.
Kind of ironic that Illinois is (probably) going to be among those that expand recognition of gun owners rights since our UUW law against carrying firearms was deemed unconstitutional.
Should even have the votes to keep all the bad stuff except perhaps universal background checks for everyone but criminals.
For a long time, gun control was an issue that cut across political parties. Even the NRA made sure they always had Democrats on-board.
Now Obama has changed all that. By making the Democrats the anti-gun party, he has finally destroyed what was left of the Blue-Dog Democrats. Think Montana and West Virginia are going to continue sending 2 Democrats to the Senate? Are the Dakota’s or Alaska going to return even one after this?
The Blue-Dog dance of pretending to be pro-2nd Amendment while supporting the Democrats on all else is done. Too many betrayals, too much association with the DNC itself now.
It is funny to listen to liberals justifying states enacting restrictive gun laws and attempting to justify that on federalist grounds. While most of us would argue that no state government has the right to trample on any enumerated civil liberty, if states can pass these laws without fear of constitutional restraint, what is there to prevent other states from ignoring the Hughes Amendment which would allow the purchase and sale of true assault rifles or other full-auto weapons?