by Joseph P. Tartaro | Executive Editor
Congress is seldom of one mind on any single subject. However, the shocking baseball diamond shooting in Alexandria, VA, on June 14 in which House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) was critically wounded, and others injured, seems to have focused congressional attention on the need for personal defense.
While the knees of a handful of members of the House and Senate jerked in an over worn complaint of too many guns, others focused on a personal need to take up arms for their own protection and that of their constituents.
Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY-26) immediately announced on several radio stations, news interviews and in an Op-Ed in the Washington Post that since he is licensed to carry concealed in his home state, he would begin making it a practice to go armed in public, for his own personal protection and that of other citizens in his area.
“I owe it to the people in my community,” Collins wrote in The Post.
Collins followed up with the first of several planned firearms safety and security training events, co-hosted with the Erie County Sheriff’s Department and the Buffalo office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
While Collins was making headlines with his plan to take up arms, Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX-36) on June 20 filed legislation to grant properly trained and certified Members of Congress the ability to carry a concealed personal firearm wherever their duties take them.
In his announcement, Babin noted that his legislation, HB-2951, would complement concealed carry reciprocity legislation that he had cosponsored to enable average citizens who are licensed concealed carry permit holders in one state to carry in another state, including the District of Columbia, but not on Capitol Hill or the White House.
“The tragic events of last week make it clearer than ever that we need to take steps to enable Members of Congress to protect themselves,” said Babin. “We also know that an even greater tragedy was averted only because of the brave actions by two armed Capitol Police special agents who happened, mercifully, to be on site. My bill would ensure rank and file Members of Congress have the opportunity to defend themselves by providing them the ability to concealed carry in nearly every scenario with only a few restrictions. With the increase in security threats to Members of Congress and our staffs, this is an important and necessary step that we must take.”
Babin’s bill has seven Republican co-sponsors, but none of his Democrat colleagues has yet signed on to the measure.
HB-2951 would:
- Allow all Members of Congress to have the ability to attempt to qualify for a concealed carry permit – either through their home state or a training program created by the United States Capitol Police (USCP).
- Give the USCP the discretion in determining the training, licensing and parameters of use
- Direct the USCP to grant Members of Congress the ability to concealed carry in nearly every conceivable scenario—including federal parks and buildings, the national mall, to and from their offices, at schools and military bases—with only a few limited restrictions. These would include National Special Security Events, other areas under the direct jurisdiction of the Secret Service and commercial airliners.
- Permit the training and certification to be paid for out of the Member’s Representational Allowance (MRA).
- Supersede any other federal or state law regarding concealed carry.
Some pro-gun rights commentators have already criticized Babin’s bill because it would allow Members of Congress to “supersede” concealed carry laws and have a gun with them for self-defense “in nearly every conceivable scenario.”
This comes as Americans have been yearning for many years for Congress to pass the national reciprocity legislation so that the common man or woman can simply have a gun with him or her as they cross state lines. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-8) introduced national reciprocity on Jan. 3, 2016, and the common man and woman has been waiting ever since.
Breitbart News highlighted the strategic flaws in Babin’s bill, saying that it would empower politicians while not helping all Americans. In response, Babin’s office provided Breitbart News with the following quote from the congressman:
“Rep. Babin is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment who fully supports reciprocity rights for every American. He is a proud cosponsor of Rep. Hudson’s national reciprocity legislation and believes all law-abiding American citizens should be able to conceal carry across state lines.”
And federal politicians are not the only ones seeking to take up arms. For example, Associated Press reported that state Rep. Richard Cebra, a Republican lawmaker in Maine, wrote a letter to Gov. Paul LePage asking him to use his executive power to let lawmakers carry concealed weapons in the Maine Statehouse after the congressional baseball practice shooting near Washington, DC.
LePage, who had a concealed weapon permit when they were required, says he’s not sure if he has the power to allow guns in the building.
Of course, national reciprocity would fix the convoluted crazy-quilt of state gun laws, including those in Washington, DC, where there is no exception for Members of Congress, by guaranteeing that a permit from any one state is valid in every other state.
In almost every war, many parents complain that the young members of their families are sent out to fight and die while the politicians who send them into harm’s way stay safely at home.
But if Babin’s bill—or something similar—does become law, we could suddenly find the Members of Congress on the front lines in the battle against criminals, lunatics and terrorists.
