READERS' EDITORIAL: SANTEE-BASED GUNS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE EXAMINES GUNS RIGHTS UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP

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By Michael Schwartz

February 14, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Second Amendment supporters in East County are looking forward to a Trump administration. Although the most problematic gun laws restricting our Second Amendment rights originate in Sacramento, there is optimism in the gunfight at the federal level.

With Mr. Trump, we see an historic opportunity to install lasting protections for future and present gun owners. Mr. Trump ran the most assertively pro-Second Amendment campaign in memory. His campaign openly declared a dedication to protecting and defending the Second Amendment. Most often, his viewpoint was a pragmatic approach aimed at self-defense, rather than simply protecting a tradition for hunters.

 

So, what should President Trump do when it comes to gun laws? We have a few suggestions.

 

  • Support legislation ensuring national reciprocity to guarantee people with concealed-carry handgun permits from one state can carry while traveling to the other states. Currently, many permit holders must leave their firearm at home when traveling or risk violating other states’ laws. Most states already have reciprocity and it is time for the remaining states to modernize and evolve.  It’s common sense to treat a carry permit in the same way we treat a driver's license. When you drive across state lines, you don’t worry that your driver’s license isn’t honored, but you do respect the laws of the road in the host state. We need the same protection for concealed-carry permits. Concealed-carry permits should be recognized in all 50 states regardless of state of issue. Law-abiding citizens should be able to exercise their constitutional right regardless of what state they reside. The individual right to carry a firearm in defense of our life and our family should not end at any state line.
  • Rescind a slew of executive actions issued by President Obama, including ordering the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence, incentivizing doctors to ask their patients about gun ownership, and encouraging states to share medical information with a National Background Check system. Rather than focus on the law-abiding, prosecute the criminals.
  • With the stroke of a pen, President Trump could erase Mr. Obama’s executive order and allow our military personnel to carry firearms while on duty at military facilities, including recruitment centers. Our domestic military bases and facilities have been the site of terror attacks and mass killings of our active duty military. With today’s increasing terrorism threat, it makes sense that soldiers should remain armed and on alert at our military bases. Getting rid of gun-free zones and making it easier for people to carry will deter criminals and reduce crime.
  • Appoint a Second Amendment friendly Supreme Court justice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who was the court’s most avid supporter of the Second Amendment. It was Scalia who wrote the 2008 landmark District of Columbia v. Heller ruling recognizing the Second Amendment as a civil right. Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, appears to be a solid choice in protecting our Second Amendment rights to self-defense and to keep and bear arms, although he does not have a record of previous court decisions nor statements directly relating to the Second Amendment. Upholding the Second Amendment is not a conservative or a liberal issue. It applies to all citizens. Protecting and restoring Second Amendment rights remains an ongoing process, but we see with Judge Gorsuch the possibility to install lasting protections for future and present gun owners.
  • The Trump administration also has the opportunity to affect future legislation. Congress should revive a number of bills designed to loosen gun laws that have been lingering on the back burner. Overall, we’re hoping that Mr. Trump’s election victory will embolden people in various ways to want to promote pro-Second Amendment legislation that will support law-abiding citizens while keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and the mentally unstable. This election presents a change in tone and an opportunity for everyday citizens to become engaged to a degree that they haven't before.
  • Protecting and restoring Second Amendment rights remains an ongoing process. Will Trump follow through with a Second Amendment friendly agenda? We certainly hope so.

 

Michael Schwartz is executive director of the San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO), a Santee-based, registered political action committee and advocating organization focused on organizing the gun industry and community and protecting the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. For more information, visit www.sandiegocountygunowners.com.

The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.


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Comments

Support of Gun Rights or Empty Promises to Get Votes?

The Republicans promised, during the election, that they would restore 2nd Amendment Rights and as a result they received the votes of gun owners. Was that just empty promises from a wannabe dictator to get votes? Where is the follow-through of the promises made? Maybe they never will fulfill those promises. Maybe they are waiting until they have put in place what they think they need to fulfill their autocratic dreams before they switch over to extreme gun control, because no autocratic government can afford to let their citizens be armed [let alone be trained and proficient]! Actions Trump Could Have Taken to Support Gun Rights: 1. Support legislation ensuring national reciprocity. H.R.38 - Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 was introduced on 01/03/2017 in the House of Representatives. There are 239 Republican seats in the US House of Representatives but to date there are only 150 Republican co-sponsors and no action! There are 52 Republican seats in the Senate but there has been no corresponding bill introduced in the Senate. Where is the fulfillment of this promise to gun owners? 2. Rescind the anti-gun executive actions issued by President Obama. With all the Executive Orders issued by the Trump administration, not one repeals any of the Executive Orders concerning guns issued by Obama after Sandy Hook. 3. Rescind Mr. Obama’s executive order and allow our military personnel to carry firearms at military facilities, including recruitment centers. There has not been any Executive Orders by Trump addressing the “gun free zones” on military facilities and recruitment centers. 4. Appoint a Second Amendment friendly Supreme Court justice. Maybe, Judge Neil Gorsuch's history on the 2nd Amendment is not conclusive and we still have to wait and see if his nomination is successful and then see his performance on the Supreme Court in 2nd Amendment cases.