Constitutional Carry on the Move Again

Concealed Carry

This time in South Dakota. A bill is now on the Governor’s desk. This would be the 14th state to adopt Constitutional Carry. Meanwhile Senator Cornyn has introduced the Senate Bill S.446, “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017” This bill also recognizes the rights of citizens from states like Vermont that do not issue permits. I’m glad this is being pushed, because I’ve been of the opinion that our opponents need to get it worse than they would have if they had just conceded to this years ago when the only thing on the table was the recognition of permits.

Pennsylvania will not be a leader in the Constitutional Carry movement. Unfortunately, the only state, so far, that has passed Constitutional Carry which has a major urban center is Arizona. I don’t notice that sky is falling in Phoenix, but it will probably take another populous state like Florida or Texas before our politicians run out of excuses for not supporting it.

20 thoughts on “Constitutional Carry on the Move Again”

  1. Does Missouri not count as Constitutional carry? KC and STL for urban centers.

    1. They aren’t big cities. I’m speaking of states with cities that have populations over a million, or large metro areas.

      1. Uh both Metro areas are over 2 million. Both metro areas cross state lines but the MO portion of each is greater than a million.

  2. “Pennsylvania will not be a leader in the Constitutional Carry movement.”

    I know I can never prove this, and a lot of time has gone by since I was really in the know, but my theory for why Pennsylvania has continued to lag on Constitutional Carry is that much of the leadership of the state gun rights movement in earlier years did not support it; and they were the people who had legislative gun rights leaders’ ears at the time. Those leaders are still in place and have not yet been eclipsed by a younger generation.

    Not that all of those people wouldn’t give lip-service to Constitutional Carry if called on to do so, while standing at the dais for a gun owners rally; but privately they would express their lack of enthusiasm for it, because of their fears of what would happen if certain demographics could carry guns without watchful oversight.

  3. Can I say 2 things? One being petty?

    1) We (PA)have a non friendly to guns Governor and a non friendly to guns AG in PA right now.
    I believe we need to get 6 more Constitutional Carry states before PA would join the parade.

    2) That picture shows a guy with his cell phone on the wrong side IMHO. Pet peeve of mine. If you carry strong side, put phone on weak side. OK, I feel better now.

    1. That picture is me… about 14 years ago. The phone is a Palm Treo :)

      I keep knife and flashlight weak side, so there’s not much room for the phone. Plus, I grab my phone (right handed) much more often than I draw my gun. Yes, it’s a compromise. I’ve never found the phone to interfere with the draw, because I wear it at 2:00 with the gun at 4:00.

      Lately I’ve been using pants that have a cell phone pocket on the right leg. It does work better.

      1. I was going to chide you for having the phone mounted screen out. I had to pay off the insurance deductible once because of that; never again.

        Also, it can’t be any earlier than 14 years ago (and is likely to be somewhat newer than that); the Treo 600 launched in 2003 – it was what I’d call the first “true” smartphone (Cellular data, fully-integrated phone and PDA, and 3rd-party apps). I wouldn’t get my first smartphone until 2005 or ’06 (and, a few months later, pay off the deductible, as noted). It was another few years before I bought my own Glock.

        If/when I can legally carry, I’d probably continue my practice of wearing my multitool clipped to my right pocket (and a bag of bits on the left side), and my phone in whatever upper-body overgarment I’m wearing. In the colder weather it’s a heavy jacket and optionally a sweatshirt or sweater underneath, in the warmer it’s a Scott eVest (with or without the sleeves, depending on the weather) – in either case the pockets are functionally my man-purse; I don’t like to keep anything BUT my multitool in my pants pockets.

        1. Not a Treo 600. Treo 270. It had a cover that flipped up, so the screen was not exposed carrying it like that. The Treo 270 was 2002.

          1. I sit corrected. Also, you are officially way more cellphone nerdy than I am.

      2. I didn’t even notice the make and model of phone. LOL ! AND it is MY pet peeve. Use what works for you, and train accordingly.

        Not saying you are going to draw the wrong thing. My point is always the same, when you do have to draw your firearm, what hand will be holding the firearm? Then how will you grab your phone to call police?
        So many more gun uses where the gun is never fired, but maybe possibly drawn? Strong hand hold on criminal, left hand to grab phone and call 911. KISS.

        (I stopped carrying a flashlight as I never used it for 8 years) Phone and extra mag on left.

        1. How do you not use a flashlight regularly? Until I broke the clip on mine, it was clipped next to my multitool, and probably saw as much use. (Admittedly, it was a 1-AAA job that ate batteries like pez)

        2. If I have my gun drawn, I have much more immediate concerns than calling the cops. I’ll do that after the incident ends, one way or another.

    2. “We (PA)have a non friendly to guns Governor and a non friendly to guns AG in PA right now.”

      Always the classic excuse for a legislative majority that gives lip-service to gun rights, not taking any action.

    1. One of the factors which makes the Governor’s opposition odd to me is that SD already has open carry without a permit.

  4. While I’m very happy to see this, I can’t help but continue to be aggravated that Utah still can’t pass a simple, straightforward Constitutional Carry bill!

Comments are closed.