[astro_wanabe]

House Bill 230 seeks to make PA a 'constitutional-carry' state

State Rep. Bryan Cutler has had a license to carry a firearm for 18 years.

He doesn't think he should need one, given that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear arms."

"I don't like having a permission slip from the government to exercise a constitutional right," he said.

Cutler is a co-sponsor to House Bill 230, which would make Pennsylvania a "constitutional carry" state.

ETA: Probably should add the link!
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/h ... 59fa2.html

I hope Pennsylvanians get this passed! I hear the Governor over there is antigun, hopefully they can get it passed as part of something the Governor likes or override the likely veto. I'm sure Philly will be yelling and screaming about it.

[Just Bill]

IF it passed, Wolf would never sign it.

[pick_six]

so, i have been reading about "constitutional carry" lately.

a law is much different to an amendment to a states constitution. i mean, that next time the power changes to a more liberal group, and gov, it gets overturned.

it also seems that constitutional amendments are harder to get in, and harder to remove.

why is it called "constitutional carry"?

and if things just affirm that the constitution, actually the 2nd amendment, give you the right, wouldn't any law passed to restrict that right have been unconstitutional in the first place?

sorry, i am not a lawyer, and sometimes this stuff, and the terms, just seems contradictory.

[mdak06]

Usually the term "constitutional carry" means that if a person is legally able to own a handgun they are legally able to carry it, openly or concealed, no permit required. Some proposed laws restrict it to 21 and older but otherwise require no permit.

Ideally it means that the law making carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is simply repealed - the legal code is removed and no law exists that criminalizes firearms carry.

However, sometimes legislators will add another exception to the law that includes all who are carrying for a lawful purpose, or all who are not otherwise prohibited from ownership. Depends on how a particular bill is written.

IMO it's called constitutional carry because the Constitution authorizes no restrictions on firearms carry.