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Gun permit-holders aren’t the problem

Sunday, October 18, 2009

To the editor:

In Friday’s edition of the paper, [there was] a letter admonishing those choosing to lawfully carry firearms. First, I respect and thank him for expressing his views. However, I disagree with them.

If he doesn’t trust someone to lawfully carry that firearm, he certainly has that right. However, implying they’re pretending to be police, etc., is false and illogical. Assuming local police will be there to protect you at all times is a dangerous assumption. FPD has excellent officers doing a tough job, but they simply can’t be everywhere at all times.

I exercise my right to carry a firearm. Like most others, I am no Rambo, or “wannabe.” However, as a former police officer, I recognize that personal safety is my responsibility. It isn’t something taken lightly. This is why I have met all state-mandated requirements to obtain my permit and routinely practice to ensure proficiency.

As one that wore a badge for nearly a decade, I never had one negative encounter with a permit-holder lawfully carrying a firearm. The person that takes the time and energy to complete training, DPS background investigations and fingerprinting statistically isn’t one to worry about. Both FBI and DOJ stats reinforce that.

I respect anyone’s choice to exercise their right to not lawfully carry firearms, but remind them respect should go both ways. You don’t have to agree with someone’s choice to respect it. Just because someone doesn’t agree with your view, doesn’t give cause to demonize them.

TIM CARTER

Bellemont

BELLEVUE, WA – The nomination of Second Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court is a slap at gun rights and the Second Amendment, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.

Judge Sotomayor, a New York native, ruled on a Second Circuit Appeals Court panel that the Second Amendment is not a fundamental right and does not apply to the states in the case of Maloney v. Cuomo. This ruling is in direct conflict with a Ninth Circuit Court ruling in the Nordyke v. King case in California that the Second Amendment is incorporated through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

“While Democrats in Congress have been making great strides in the gun rights arena, refusing to consider a renewal of the Clinton gun ban, and offering overwhelming bipartisan support for legislation allowing citizens to carry firearms in national parks, President Obama just demonstrated that he prefers judges who oppose Second Amendment rights,” said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb.

Incorporation may be taken up by the high court during its next session beginning in October, because attorneys in the Maloney case plan to appeal in late June.

“If the Maloney appeal is accepted by the Supreme Court,” Gottlieb wondered, “would Justice Sotomayor – provided she is confirmed – recuse herself from deliberations?”

Judge Sotomayor has written an opinion that declined to order the release of certain information under the Freedom of Information Act. In one case, according to SCOTUSblog, she wrote that the “unwarranted invasion of privacy” for individuals whose names would be release under an FOIA request outweighed the public interest.

“Would a Justice Sotomayor be just as protective of the privacy rights of concealed carry permit holders if a newspaper wanted to publish that information,” Gottlieb asked. “We hope that during Senate confirmation hearings, someone asks about her positions on incorporation and the privacy rights of gun owners. The Second Amendment needs to be expanded, not eviscerated.”