As some of you know, Texas is not the only state attempting to pass a more modern gun rights agenda. This week, Florida’s Campus Carry effort was passed through the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. This bill would lift the ban on carrying concealed weapons on state universities; private universities could still ban the practice. Sen. Greg Evers, the bill’s sponsor, introduced this effort as a public safety initiative, calling campus areas, which are gun-free zones, “an incubator for folks that won’t follow the law.” His democratic counterpart, Sen. Audrey Gibson, argued that the proposal would allow mini-militias to form on the state’s campuses, a clearly irrational argument at best. What the bill would do is provide students the ability to defend themselves.
New Hampshire has also advanced some interesting legislation through its Senate. A bill to repeal the license requirement for concealed carry has passed in a 14-9 vote this Thursday. This bill would not in any way expand the number of people who legally own guns. In New Hampshire, open carry is already legal with a permit. According to Sen. Sharon Carson, “This bill recognizes that the simple act of putting on a coat should not require a permit.” Democrats in the state have likened this bill to “radical legislation” when, oddly enough, this bill is very mild and pragmatic in its scope.
New Jersey made official this week that it is the worst state ever…at least as far as gun rights goes. Gordon VanGilder, a retired school teacher, was arrested and is facing 10 years in prison for carrying a 300-year-old flintlock pistol in his car in the Garden State. The gun was unloaded, and had been for a number of centuries. This is the same felony charge that one would face for carrying a LOADED .44 Magnum. While police were making this arrest, criminals across the state still loom large, carrying illegally obtained weapons. Way to go New Jersey.
Another strange arrest was made this week in the Cleveland airport. Prominent anti-gun attorney David Malik has been arrested for carrying a gun and ammo through airport security. Malik participated in a shooting class and forgot to unpack his bag containing the gun before leaving on a trip. Mr. Malik spent Saturday night in jail and was released on bond Sunday morning of last week. The word we’re all looking for, by the way, is hypocrite.
And finally, your defensive gun use of the week. In West Virginia, a concealed carrying pharmacist may have saved lives of both his customers and his staff. Sherriff’s deputies said a masked male suspect entered the pharmacy and pointed a firearm at the staff. The pharmacist responded by pulling his own firearm and firing at the suspect. The suspect was hit, and though staff tried to perform life-saving measures and the suspect did make it to surgery, he died from his wounds. The pharmacist will not face any charges.