Constitutional Carry, the time is ripe in Tennessee :: 10/16/2014

So, what do we mean by Constitutional Carry? The Bill of Rights, ratified December 15, 1791, comprises the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution.

The second of those amendments states, A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Constitutional Carry, then, is a situation within a jurisdiction in which the carrying of firearms, concealed or not, is generally not restricted by the law.**

In order to eliminate any doubt that the first clause of the Second Amendment limits this right to members of the National Guard (the organized militia), here is a quick review of quotes from the founders, courtesy of George Mason University.

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials."-- George Mason, in Debates in Virginia Convention on Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788

"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American...[T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." --Tenche Coxe, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.

" ... to disarm the people - that was the best and most effectual way to enslave them." -- George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 380

"The militia is the natural defense of a free country against sudden foreign invasions, domestic insurrections, and domestic usurpation of power by rulers. The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of the republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally ... enable the people to resist and triumph over them." -- Joseph Story, Supreme Court Justice, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, p. 3:746-7, 1833

" ... most attractive to Americans, the possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave, it being the ultimate means by which freedom was to be preserved." -- James Burgh, 18th century English Libertarian writer, Shalhope, The Ideological Origins of the Second Amendment, p.604

So what has happened in some of the other states? Modern day slave states place more and more restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms. One example is New Jersey's draconian purchase requirements and despotic carry laws.

Free states, on the other hand, have removed the permitting requirements and recognize the definition of the phrase shall not be infringed. These include, to varying degrees, Alaska, Arizona, Wyoming, Vermont (where no permit has ever been required), Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

So what does the State of Tennessee do? Prior to the Civil War, Tennessee law (as in many other states) restricted slaves from having weapons. After that war, black codes were enacted that limited the carrying of weapons by freed blacks. In more recent times, the carrying of weapons has been generally restricted for all citizens, with exceptions being made for those who acquire a handgun carry permit. This permitting system, while better than before still infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens, by requiring training, a background check, and paying for an expensive permit.

This permitting system has no effect on the criminal element of our society. They are prohibited by law from owning a firearm. The system simply places an impediment in the way of the good citizens who desire to take responsibility for their safety.***

Now is the time for the Tennessee Legislature to step up and show that they trust their fellow citizens. Last session, they took a step in the right direction by passing a bill that recognizes the right to carry a firearm in a vehicle without the need for a permission slip. Governor Bill Haslam has stated he would sign a Constitutional Carry bill, which would extend that recognition to any non-prohibited location.

It's time to give him the opportunity to sign the bill!

http://www.examiner.com/article/constitutional-carry-the-time-is-ripe-tennessee