Buckeye Reporter

Since President Trump returned to office, supporters of gun rights have described the current period as a "golden age" for the Second Amendment. However, some say there are still obstacles to further reforms.

The article points to opposition from Democrats and some Republicans, often referred to as "RINOs" (Republicans in name only), who are seen as hindering progress on gun legislation. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Maine Sen. Susan Collins are mentioned as prominent examples at the federal level, while similar challenges exist at the state level.

North Carolina is highlighted as having an opportunity to become the 30th state with "constitutional carry," which would allow permitless concealed carry of firearms. Although Governor Josh Stein vetoed Senate Bill 50, known as the Freedom to Carry North Carolina Act, the state Senate voted to override his veto. The bill now awaits action in the House, where Republicans reportedly need one more vote for an override.

The article states: "Far from bringing back the Wild West, constitutional carry doesn’t appear to affect the rate of real violence, i.e., gun-related homicides, very much at all."

It cites CDC data from 2019 to 2023 indicating that constitutional carry states saw their firearm homicide rates increase nearly 3% less than the national average and over 6% less than states with universal background check laws. Additionally, seven of the ten states with the lowest firearm homicide rates reportedly have constitutional carry laws.

Florida is also discussed as facing internal Republican opposition to repealing certain gun restrictions enacted after the 2018 Parkland shooting. State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl is said to have used material from Everytown for Gun Safety in court arguments supporting bans on firearm sales to those under 21 and open carry laws. Meanwhile, Florida’s attorney general James Uthmeier has urged the Supreme Court to review NRA v. Glass—a case challenging Florida’s under-21 ban—and stated that his office would not defend that law.

According to Uthmeier: "Uthmeier’s position makes a lot of sense, especially since the Florida ban makes no sense at all. The state stripped more than a million young adults of their Second Amendment rights because one of their cohort — in the entire history of Florida — legally purchased a rifle and used it to commit a mass shooting."

The article argues that Republican reluctance is why post-Parkland restrictions remain in place despite GOP control in Florida's government and notes that firearm deaths increased by 12% between 2018 and 2023 while population grew by only 6%.

It concludes: "Every friend of the Second Amendment knows gun control laws never deliver on their promises. In the final analysis, gun control fans are far more interested in taking guns, or at least making them hard to get, than public safety, saving lives, or any of the other excuses. If they were actually interested in reducing “gun violence” they would be pushing vastly different laws."

The author calls for persuading Republican lawmakers who oppose further loosening gun regulations: "Now we just need to persuade the RINOs to ignore the gun control hype and hoopla and stand up for the Constitution that every one of them took an oath to defend."

The article originally appeared on AmmoLand and was republished with permission.

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