HR 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity act, passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday by a vote of 272 to 154. This bill requires states to recognize the carry permits issued by other states.

Many have expressed surprise that Rep. Rob Woodall, Republican of the Georgia 7th District, voted No, despite being a proponent of the Second Amendment. But Mr. Woodall explained his position clearly on the floor of the House.

At first I thought his position was a cop-out, but I find it a well reasoned and lucid explanation.

Unfortunately, it’s based on fantasy and wishful thinking.

It assumes that all the states enforce and apply the Second Amendment, so we must enforce and apply the Tenth Amendment and allow them to continue to do so. The problem is that all states don’t apply the Second Amendment. In fact, some actively oppose it. The purpose of HR 822 is to enforce the Second Amendment explicitly rather than implicitly.

Just about every Amendment since the 13th has included the phrase “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation” or similar language. Before that, it was understood that Congress would enforce the Constitution with appropriate legislation. That’s the Congress’s job.

All HR 822 does is enforce the Second Amendment with appropriate legislation.

Doing that with the Tenth Amendment is another issue for another time.

Yesterday I posted an open letter to my Congressman, Dr. Phil Gingrey, urging him to vote for HR822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act.

I fully expect him to do so, since he is a co-sponsor.

I did not, however, give much guidance on how you can contact your Member of Congress to urge them to do the same. I assume my readers are capable of using the Interwebz to find such things.

Barring that, the website Congress.org has a nifty app that allows you to enter your zip code and fins out who your elected officials are. Please avail yourself of this service if needed.

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As an aside, please don’t let this be the only time you contact your representative. I make it a point to write or email my Congressman and my Senators at least monthly.

Keep your letters and emails short and to the point. Don’t ramble.

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I am proud to live where I live. Our Congressmen in the past have included Larry McDonald, Newt Gingrich, and Bob Barr.

But I’m reminded of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gobachev’s rule: “Доверяй, но проверяй.”

Trust, but verify.

Congressman Phil Gingrey, MD
119 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Gingrey:

I know you support the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed in the Second Amendment. Currently, the consistent exercise of this right for lawful self defense is hindered by a patchwork of state laws governing the issuance of concealed carry permits. While my Georgia Concealed Weapons License is recognized and honored by 24 other states, there are many who do not honor it, because of differences in the ways the laws are written in those states.

I am writing you to urge you to vote YES on HR822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which comes before the House for a vote in the next couple of days. This bill would level the playing field for the licensed concealed carry of firearms, by mandating that all states which issue such licenses honor licenses from all other states, in much the same way as states honor each drivers’ licenses from other states. This bill will go a long way to helping keep travelers and visitors safe.

Thank you for your attention to this important bill.

Yours,

XXXXXX XXXXXX

Kennesaw, GA

PLEASE write or call your Congressman today and urge them to support HR822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act.