Washingon State's RKBA Provision

Washington State's RKBA Provision

I was doing a bit of research into Washington State arms law, and I ran into some very interesting stuff about the history of Washington State's right to keep and bear arms provision.  Washington State's current constitution dates from 1889, as does the RKBA provision, Art. I, sec. 24:

The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men. 

The "armed body of men" was a response to the use of Pinkertons as strikebreakers--and Washington State was certainly not going to interfere with union men defending themselves by the law of the jungle.

There was an earlier proposed constitution, the first time that Washington asked for statehood.  The 1878 proposed constitution included Art. V:

Sec. 19. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but this shall not be so construed as to justify the carrying of concealed weapons.

This is a pretty typical state constitutional provision for the era; guaranteeing a right, but clarifying that it did not protect concealed carry. (Clear implication: some form of carry is protected.)

One of the standard reference works on the Washington State Constitution contains the rather interesting statement that a delegate to the 1889 constitutional convention proposed adding a ban on concealed carry to the proposed arms provision--and his proposal was voted down.  In light of the dominant view of how far the police power extended at the time--and that the proposed 1878 constitution did have a "shall not be construed as to justify" clause, it would be very interesting to examine in detail the debates about this provision at the 1889 convention, and see if the proposal was to constitutionally prohibit concealed carry, or merely to provide that the arms provision did not protect it.  Unfortunately, only the minutes were kept, although much of the debates was apparently published in newspapers of the time.  It does appear that the Oregon and Indiana state constitution rights guarantees are, respectively the father and grandfather of the 1889 Washington constitution.

Arizona Repeals Concealed Carry Permit Requirement

Arizona Repeals Concealed Carry Permit Requirement

NRA reports that Governor Brewer of Arizona has signed the law removing the requirement to have a concealed weapon permit. This makes Arizona the third state (after Vermont and Alaska) to no longer require a concealed weapon permit. Of course, if you are not allowed to own a gun, then you can't carry it.

I'm not opposed to such a change, although I don't consider it entirely a wonderful situation. There are people who are legally allowed to own a gun, but for whom it is probably not a good idea because of temperament. To the extent that a permit slightly discourages such people from carrying a gun, this is sort of good. But I must confess, this works only at the margins; only a small percentage of people that should not carry a gun will be discouraged by the permit requirement.

For those who wish to see Vermont-style carry become the norm, note the sequence: Arizona first went to a non-discretionary permit system, and after building confidence that it wasn't going to be a public safety problem, the legislature took the next logical step. This is also how Alaska did it as well.

UPDATE: A comment over at Snowflakes in Hell indicates that there are some places that may still require a concealed carry permit in Arizona--but not everywhere.

Iowa About to Go Non-Discretionary

Iowa About to Go Non-Discretionary

From March 30, 2010 KCRG-TV:

DES MOINES - The Iowa House and Senate have both signed off on a bill that reduces sheriffs' ability to deny permits to carry a gun.

The bill essentially changes the law from saying sheriff's "may" issue gun permits to they "shall" issue permits. If the governor signs the bill, people must still pass a background check, but sheriffs will only be able to reject permits for a few specific reasons.

...

Most sheriffs in Iowa disagree [with the new law] and fear this new legislation could lead to more guns on the streets and less monitoring of the weapons.

"I think it's unfortunate the NRA was able to come in, push the legislature around and get them to go along with this,” Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said.

Hmmm. We've heard the same thing in state after state--and within a year or two? All the whining from the sheriffs stops.

Another Opponent of Concealed Carry Concedes

Another Opponent of Concealed Carry Concedes

I've been very pleased at the number of people--journalists, sheriffs, politicians--who initially opposed "shall-issue" concealed weapon permit laws, and later admitted that they were wrong. Here's another. The October 20, 2009 Springfield, Missouri News-Tribune carried an editorial in which they listed two recent gun self-defense cases:

In the second incident, the assailant was shot by someone who qualifies under the conceal and carry law.

Sheriff Greg White is a proponent of the conceal and carry law, passed by lawmakers in 2003 after Missouri voters rejected a similar law in 1999.

The law requires people to attain a standard of proficiency with weapons before they are permitted to carry a concealed gun. Proponents of the law believe it offers a greater sense of security and decreases crime by prompting felons to consider the consequences of armed confrontation.

We confess to harboring some reservations about the concealed carry law. Our fear was an increase in guns in public would result in more guns being displayed prematurely and/or more accidents.

White said recently: “All the fears over conceal and carry have never manifested.”

We concede the point.

Anecdotal evidence does not suggest an increase in accidents or unprovoked gunplay.

The evidence, however, does show people defending themselves from harm.

The message being sent to felons is don't bring a weapon to a crime unless you're prepared to accept the risk.

Let's hear it for journalists with the honesty to admit that they were wrong.

Nebraska's Concealed Carry Permit Recognition List

Nebraska's Concealed Carry Permit Recognition List

is here. The Nebraska Attorney-General has concluded that the following states have concealed weapon permit issuance standards "equal to or greater than" Nebraska's, and will therefore be recognized:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota (class one permit), Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.

They will also recognize permits issued by the following states, as long as the permit holder is 21 or older:

California, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Dakota (class 2 permit), and Texas.

I wasn't aware that California issued to under 21. At least, when I had a California carry permit, they didn't.

Interesting Admission About Civilian Competence With Guns

Interesting Admission About Civilian Competence With Guns

From July 31, 2009 KRGC channel 13 in Missouri:

COLUMBIA -- It was an issue discussed during the legislative session this past spring, and it was a hot topic for discussion Thursday during a panel discussion at conference sponsored by the Missouri School Boards Association. The subject is campus violence.

The issue is whether to allow people to be armed at school for their own protection. School administrators and resource officers face a potential for campus tragedy unheard of just a generation ago.

The Columbine shootings a decade ago changed everything.

When asked if Jefferson City could handle a Columbine? Cole County Sheriff Greg White answered, "I think we're still building a preparedness structure."

A former school resource officer, White was one of five expert panelists in a no-holds-barred discussion of school shootings.

“If a human being desires to damage other people, they're going to do it," said White.

...

Sheriff White argued that armed civilians on campus have the potential to end the threat quickly. And he stunned the room with this assertion.

"In actual shootings, citizens do far better than law enforcement on hit potential,” said White. “They hit their targets and they don't hit other people. I wish I could say the same for cops. We train more, they do better."

A Project For Someone That Wants To Advance The Concealed Carry Cause

A Project For Someone That Wants To Advance The Concealed Carry Cause

I have been asked by a U.S. Senator's staff to identify people with a concealed carry permit who have used a gun in self-defense to testify before a subcommittee next week. The goal is to get a bill passed provided for national reciprocity on concealed carry permits. (Yes, I've discussed the need to phrase this correctly to avoid violating standards of federalism.)

I have 220 examples here of concealed weapon permit holders using a gun in self-defense. I need a list of their names and hometowns that I can provide to this senator's staff. If you can further divide the list into especially sympathetic cases (women, people defending themselves from hate crimes, etc.), all the better. (If you can find phone numbers for these people, even better!)

I'm working on written testimony concerning the subject, so if we can work in parallel on this, great! If you can do this, please let me know. If I get multiple workers, we can split the task up.

Make That 39 States

Make That 39 States

Nevada, has had a shall issue concealed carry permit law since 2001. While they issued permits to non-residents, the requirement that the mandatory class be conducted in Nevada made it something of a nuisance for non-residents. Even though there are small Nevada cities just across the border from Idaho (and which exist for one reason alone: gambling), the mandatory class wasn't ever offered in those small cities.

However: Nevada now recognizes the concealed carry permits of several other states, including one that I have: Florida. Very nice--no more need to unload when I reach the border.

This takes me to the point where my six there are now 39 states where I can carry concealed. And strictly speaking, I can carry openly in Wisconsin.

Troubling News Story

Troubling News Story

In the March 16, 2009 Idaho Statesman:

The 29-year-old Boise man who was killed outside a pool hall early Saturday morning while reportedly breaking up a fight was shot five times, according to Ada County Coroner’s reports.
Those five shots, which hit Ahmed Cepalo on his side and back, caused fatal internal bleeding which led to his death in a parking lot, Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg said Monday.
Shooting suspect Jeremy J. Hobbs, 27, told Boise police the shooting was done in self-defense, according to court testimony Monday
Hobbs is being held in the Ada County Jail on a $1 million bond for charges of second degree murder and using a gun in the commission of a felony.
Witnesses told police Cepalo was shot by Hobbs about 2 a.m. — a short time after Hobbs and another man started arguing inside Southwest Boise's Backstreet Billiards, which is on Overland Road near the Five Mile Road intersection.

This doesn't happen a lot in Boise, but it does happen. What makes this worrisome:

Officers arrived at the pool hall moments after getting a 911 call and found that Hobbs had put his gun away. He was arrested without incident.
Boise police and Ada County Sheriff’s officials say Hobbs had a valid concealed weapons permit at the time of the shooting. [emphasis added]

Now, there's a bit more to the story which means that it is possible that Hobbs was engaged in a lawful act of self-defense:

While witnesses told police Cepalo was trying to calm down an argument Saturday morning, he was arrested at the same pool hall in November and charged with misdemeanor battery after being accused of attacking a patron over issues about his ethnicity.
That man told police that Cepalo, who is from Bosnia, attacked him at Southwest Boise's Backstreet Billiards after a verbal altercation turned violent. That man told police Cepalo first pushed him and then punched him with a closed fist several times.
Cepalo told police he was shoved first before hitting the other man, according to police reports. Only Cepalo was charged in that fight. Cepalo was scheduled to begin a jury trial on the misdemeanor charge of battery in May.

What's troubling is that someone with the same name as Hobbs shows up in the criminal records here in Ada County with misdemeanor convictions including unlawful entry, and withheld judgments (which I think is something like a suspended sentence) for resisting a police officer, drug paraphernalia possession and concealed carry without a license.

Like most states, Idaho's statute a list of misdemeanors that will prevent you from obtaining a concealed carry permit for several years. The theory is that if you made one mistake, and manage to stay out of trouble thereafter, they won't hold it against you. I think there is merit to this--but I have been concerned since 2003 that the disqualifying misdemeanor list is a bit short, and may need some correcting.

Don't misunderstand; the number of people with concealed carry permits who commit a felony is astonishingly small--and often, those felonies don't even involve violence or guns. But they do happen. Idaho's law, like many of the earlier adopters of shall-issue concealed weapon permit laws, was less restrictive concerning previous misdemeanor convictions than the laws adopted in the mid-1990s and later. If it needs a little fine tuning at the edges, I would not be surprised.

UPDATE: This morning's Idaho Statesman story about this reports that Hobbs was awaiting trial on battery charges. Idaho Code 18-3302(m) provides that if you are awaiting trial on a disqualifying crime (as is any misdemeanor crime of violence, like battery), you are ineligible. So I called up the reporter, and asked him about this. He indicated that Ada County Sheriff's Department staff thought that they couldn't revoke Hobbs' permit because his previous misdemeanor convictions were too far back. Well, yes, but a current charge was enough to revoke.

Another Mass Murder Stopped Before It Got Mass

Another Mass Murder Stopped Before It Got Mass

From the May 26, 2008 Reno Gazette-Journal:

The initial investigation indicated that there had been two separate shooters during the incident. One of the alleged shooters, Ernesto Fuentes Villagomez, age 30 of Winnemucca, was among the three men who were dead on arrival. The other was a 48 year old Reno man who was initially taken into custody at the scene as a person of interest.

The subsequent investigation lead detectives to believe that Villagomez entered the bar and at some point began firing multiple rounds. At least two of these rounds struck and killed the other two decedents, Jose Torres age, 20 and his brother Margarito Torres, age 19 both of Winnemucca. At some point during this shooting spree Villagomez allegedly stopped and according to witnesses reloaded his high capacity handgun and began shooting again.

It was at this point that the second shooter, the Reno resident, produced a concealed handgun and proceeded to fire upon Villagomez who succumbed to his wounds. The Reno resident was in possession of a valid Concealed Carry Permit issued through the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

After further investigation as well as ongoing discussions with Humboldt County District Attorney Russell Smith, the decision was made that the shooting of Villagomez by the Reno man was a justifiable homicide as outlined in Nevada Revised Statute 200.120 and 200.160. Because of this the Reno man was released from police custody.

Gee, did this get major news coverage? I wonder why not?

Thanks to Dustin's Gun Blog for the pointer.

Texas Concealed Handgun License Backlog

Texas Concealed Handgun License Backlog

The Texas Department of Public Safety issues concealed handgun licenses--and they are getting backlogged for an interesting reason. From the May 8, 2008 Houston Chronicle:

AUSTIN — Demand for concealed handgun licenses has risen nearly 40 percent in Texas in a year, an increase being attributed to many factors, even presidential politics.
Though the exact cause may be unclear, what's certain is that the spike in applications has caught the Department of Public Safety unprepared.
The state is taking a month longer than the 60 days allowed by law to process original applications and 80 days longer on renewals, which are supposed to be handled within 45 days.
"We're trying really hard, but there have been delays because of the tremendous increase in applications," said Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman.
She said the department is paying overtime and hiring temporary workers to reduce the backlog. Mange said she doesn't know why applications last month were 39 percent higher than they were in April 2007.
But Ross Bransford, who trains 1,000 Texans a year to qualify for a concealed handgun license, said he believes the looming 2008 election is a big factor.
"People are not sure what's going to happen after the election," said Bransford, who owns Austin-based CHL-Texas.com. "Both Democratic candidates are anti-gun in one fashion or another."
He said Sen. Barack Obama, who is leading the race for the nomination, is a "friend of (Democratic Senator) Ted Kennedy, and that scares everybody to death."
Other instructors mentioned an increased interest from young adults after last year's Virginia Tech massacre and recent changes in Texas law about carrying concealed weapons.

It might well be that Presidential politics is driving this--although whoever wins the election won't affect CHL issuance in Texas. Perhaps young people are applying for CHLs more in awareness of how vunerable they are from incidents like Virginia Tech--and are hoping that Texas changes the law to pre-empt state college rules on the subject this year.

I keep hoping that incidents like Virginia Tech (and the Omaha mall shootings, and the church in Colorado Springs, etc.) will generate the groundswell of support for doing something about the disgraceful condition of mental illness treatment in America. To make that happen, however, requires everyone to be able to work together. Applying for a concealed weapon permit doesn't require any collective action at all.

Louisiana Voters: Time To Light Up The Phones

Louisiana Voters: Time To Light Up The Phones

Xavier Thoughts tells us that a concealed carry on campus bill escaped the lower house Criminal Justice Committee.

Kansas Concealed Carry Statistics

Kansas Concealed Carry Statistics

The Kansas Attorney-General's office now has information online for what out of state permits they recognize, and the number of outstanding permits, revocations, etc.

I am a bit disappointed to see that they do not recognize out of state permits except for residents of those states. (Meaning that they don't recognize Idaho permits, and won't recognize my non-resident permits from any of the other states.) Not like I travel through Kansas much, but you Jayhawkers need to get cracking on this!

So far, they have issued 9,707 permits, and revoked 9. That's pretty decent, for a state with a population of about 2.7 million people.

Stupid Georgia Gun Law

Stupid Georgia Gun Law

Over at Free Speech is this useful discussion of a stupid Georgia gun law:

As a Georgia Firearms Licensee, I have often thought to myself how absolutely stupid it is that those of us who have a license to carry a concealed firearm are not allowed by state law to carry in any restaurant that serves alcohol for consumption on the premise. It doesn’t matter if I’m not even having an alcoholic drink. I’m still not allowed to carry my weapon in that place of business. I either have to disarm myself, leaving me and my family potentially vulnerable, or I have to go eat somewhere else.

I’m sure that at some point in the past, some ignorant lawmaker decided that we average everyday folks are just too stupid and irresponsible to have our firearms on us when we’re anywhere near a keg of beer or a mixed drink, even if we’re not the one drinking it. We might get drunk, get rowdy and start shooting up the place, I guess. The only problem with this logic is that it is not GFL carriers that do that kind of thing. We defend ourselves and others when SOMEONE ELSE gets drunk, gets rowdy and starts shooting up the place, as happened in Norcross, GA this past weekend:

Fatal shooting at Norcross bar marks Gwinnett homicide record

Witnesses said Ojeda appeared to have been drinking when he drove up to the restaurant around midnight, Norcross Police Detective Jason Carter said. Ojeda joined a group of four other people “other regulars, but not well acquainted with the man” on the patio and became belligerent when one person asked Ojeda not to be obnoxious. After a brief scuffle, Ojeda left, only to return with a gun about 45 minutes later, Carter said.

As people on the patio scattered, one of the men he’d been sitting with ran away but drew his own gun, police said. That man, whose name was not released, fired once and hit Ojeda in the head, police said.

Technically, this unnamed patron was breaking Georgia Law by carrying his weapon in this restaurant that serves alcohol. Thank God he was, or there is no telling how many would have been dead when Mr. Ojeda finished his drunken rampage. This GFL holder was able to stop this drunk shooter before the man even got off a single shot. This man is a hero, in my opinion, and should be hailed as such. Unfortunately he’s probably worried right now about whether he will be prosecuted for carrying the gun that saved himself and possibly countless others into that restaurant which was against the law.

Now, I understand what the objective of the original law was, and I can sympathize with the intent. The goal was to prohibit people from going into bars armed and getting drunk. Alcohol and guns don't mix well together. (Neither do alcohol and cars, alcohol and power tools, alcohol and ladders, alcohol and random sex--you might say that alcohol doesn't play well with others.)

Kentucky has a somewhat more rational law that prohibited concealed carry in:

Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense beer or alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to that purpose.

This means that you can't carry concealed into a bar, or the bar part of a restaurant. (The restaurant part would be just fine.) I was also told, while in Kentucky for the Gun Rights Policy Conference, that "primarily devoted to that purpose" meant that more than 50% of the restaurants profit came from the sale of alcohol.

But if I meet some friends in a bar, or the bar part of a restaurant, it shouldn't matter if I am carrying concealed. I seldom drink (maybe a glass of wine with dinner, rarely), and I never drink when I am outside my home, because I will almost certainly be driving. (Not being much of a drinker, sniffing the cork from the wine bottle is almost enough to impair my driving.) If anything, the tendency of some people to get combative after a few drinks (as in the example above) is a strong argument for those who are not drinking at all to be allowed to carry concealed in bars.

A sensible rule might be: if you are carrying concealed, you may not drink in a public place, and any detectable alcohol in your blood or breath should be an offense. That makes more sense than this stupid Georgia law. Fortunately, someone in that bar broke the law, and was armed when Ojeda lost control.

Empty Holsters Protest At University of Kentucky

Empty Holsters Protest At University of Kentucky

One of my co-bloggers at the Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog is a member of the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus chapter at University of Kentucky. He relays to me the email that was just sent out by the administration:

The University of Kentucky has been informed that our campus may be one of the sites across the nation this week (Oct. 22-26) for a protest regarding concealed weapons policies. SCCC (Students for Concealed Carry on Campus) has announced that it is planning a peaceful protest where individuals will wear T-shirts and empty holsters as a form of protest against state laws and campus policies which prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms on campus.

At UK, we cherish and affirm the right of free speech on campus and certainly recognize and respect the right of this group to conduct a peaceful protest.

The reason for this proactive message is to make all students, faculty, and staff aware that such an activity may occur, so as to diminish and diffuse any sense of alarm which may arise.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that UK is a "deadly weapons free" campus.

Thank you.

(If you are a supervisor, please communicate this information to all of your staff, especially those without computer access.)

Hey, that's great publicity for the cause!

Utah's Concealed Weapon Permit Process

According to this September 26, 2007 Associated Press article, Utah is no longer "shall-issue" for non-citizens:

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah has stopped issuing concealed-gun permits to foreigners because of the rising number of applicants and the difficulty of conducting background checks.
"Utah had become the state of choice for people who did not live in the United States but wanted to carry a gun in the country," said Richard Wyss, attorney at the Utah Bureau of Criminal Investigation. State authorities "became alarmed," he told lawmakers Tuesday.
About 1,000 citizens of other countries have permits that allow them to carry a concealed gun in Utah and 30 states that have an agreement with Utah. Most are Canadians; others are from countries including Japan, Switzerland, Aruba, Mongolia, Mexico and the Republic of Congo.
Since 1995, Utah has issued 92,000 permits, 30 percent to non-Utah residents. Applicants typically must show they attended a safety class. Even a blind North Dakota man has one.
Background checks on foreigners were weak because Utah was denied access to records in other countries, but permits were issued if applicants met other requirements, authorities said. Utah now won't renew or issue the permits unless it can do a thorough background check.

I really can't say that I blame them. I rather suspect that the criminal background check system for Afghanistan is a little less thorough than for Wyoming. I would also worry a bit about terrorists entering the United States and using the deficiencies (or active assistance) of their home country's criminal justice system to allow them to carry concealed.

If the home country will provide adequate information, it appears that non-citizens can still get a Utah carry permit.

Ohio's Concealed Carry Law

Ohio's Concealed Carry Law

The Ohio Attorney General's office has a very good booklet explaining their concealed carry law, along with a discussion of the legal limits of use of deadly force here. I am pleased to see that the requirement that concealed carry licensees could only drive with the gun exposed have been dropped. I am also pleased to see that Ohio and Idaho have signed a reciprocity agreement. (I'm headed to Ohio next month.)

It's also kind of cool that there's an M1911 on the cover of that booklet!

Lubbock TV Station Coverage of Concealed Carry Licensing

Interesting item--and surprisingly positive--from KCBD channel 11:

Recent violence in Lubbock appears to have sparked a larger interest in concealed handgun licenses, so NewsChannel 11 taking a closer look into what it takes to receive one of those permits.

"The object of carrying a weapon is to prevent things from happening," Beverly Ellis, owner of Gun Shak in southwest Lubbock County said.

Ellis is also a concealed handgun license instructor. Before you can get a conceal-carry license from the Department of Public Safety, you'll have to spend hours of class time with her, or at least another instructor like Ellis, and it appears more people in Lubbock are up to the challenge.

"In the last two or three months there's been a much greater interest. With all the things that have been going on, they just feel like they want to be prepared, in the event that something happens," Ellis said.

Journalists Go Gun Shopping

It is always somewhat interesting to watch what happens when a journalist decides to explore the dark and evil subculture of gun ownership. Sometimes, they actually seem to be trying to be fair and honest! Anyway, you might find this series of articles from the Lawrence, Kansas Journal interesting. The first one is titled, "Buying into the Gun Culture," where the reporter tells us of going out to buy a handgun for concealed carry, since he is going to be going through the process of buying a handgun, getting a carry permit, carrying a gun for a few days, and seeing how it goes. From his description, it sounds like the various gun dealers he talked to (and who didn't know he was a reporter) were upfront and sensible people--which is what I would expect.

This other article from July 1, 2007 interviews a local person who was an opponent of the new Kansas concealed carry law--and unlike a lot of these reports, it really captures a lot of why this gal is so hostile to gun ownership:

When Marilyn Roy talks about parts of her past, she clutches her purse tightly. She rocks with it in her chair as she talks about the times that turned violent. Her life in Barstow, although isolated — or acultural, as she describes it — wasn’t necessarily serene.

“I grew up in a troubled family,” Roy said. “My family wasn’t hunky-dory.”

Roy, 57, found hard times on her own, too. She was forced to put her son up for adoption when he was 5, for reasons she did not disclose. Afterward, she went to Kansas City to try to start over, but instead she found a dead end. She was homeless in Kansas City and Texas for about four years.

On the streets, she saw the drugs, she saw the guns, she saw the violence. Some of it found her, too. Roy said she’s been the victim of domestic violence and physical abuse on multiple occasions.

The violence left her with a choice to make. She said a person can either choose to fight violence with violence, or take the tack that violence begets nothing good.

“The consequence of violence being fought with violence just doesn’t appeal to me,” Roy said.

Since 1974, Roy has been spreading that message in Lawrence. That’s how long she has lived in the city, spending part of the time as a student. She has a degree in psychology and runs a small home-based business called Simplify, a home/office organization business that has a motto of “supporting peaceful lifestyles.” She’s also on a Social Security disability related to some of the emotional scars from her past. She’s likely best known to many Lawrence residents as a frequent advocate at City Hall and elsewhere for people who are disadvantaged.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that I was just born a pacifist,” Roy said.

I feel bad for Ms. Roy, but it is a reminder that a lot of the more extreme anti-gun sorts are engaged in projection. They confuse themselves with the average person.

There's also a very fair article about one of the gun rights activists in Lawrence.

West Virginia Signs A CCW Reciprocity Agreement With Ohio

The Buckeye Firearms Association web site (which I have now added to the blogroll) links to this press release from the West Virginia Attorney-General, announcing that West Virginia and Ohio will now recognize each other's concealed handgun licenses.

“West Virginians with valid concealed handgun permits are allowed to carry concealed handguns in KY, VA, NC, OH, FL and SD pursuant to existing and new reciprocity agreements. We are currently in active discussion with other states. We have received recognition by Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Vermont, but we do not have a reciprocity agreement with the states,” stated Attorney General Darrell McGraw.

I can't seem to find anything that indicates whether West Virginia recognizes all carry permits issued by those other states or not, or limits it to licenses issued to residents of those states. It would be very nice if they recognized all carry permits, because then I could add West Virginia to my list of states in which I'm allowed to carry concealed.