UPDATED - 7/22/2009: This amendment failed on a vote of 58-39. To see the vote click here.

OOIDA Information Update – Thune Amendment (conceal and carry) – Senate Amendment 1618
July 21, 2009

For those of you following this amendment to the Defense authorization bill, below are comments from Senator Thune addressing some of the issues raised about his amendment.  Amendment 1618 is set to be voted on at noon (EST) Wednesday on the Senate floor.

Senator Thune’s comments:

“It is also important to point out that there are a number of arguments that have been raised against this amendment which just, frankly, are not true.

First of all, my amendment does not create a national concealed carry permit system or standard. My amendment does not allow individuals to conceal and carry within States that do not allow their own citizens to do so. My amendment does not allow citizens to circumvent their home State’s concealed carry permit laws. If an individual is currently prohibited from possessing a firearm under Federal law, my amendment would continue to prohibit them from doing so. When an individual with a valid concealed carry permit from their home State travels to a State that allows their citizens to conceal and carry, the visitor must comply with the restrictions of the State they are in.

It has been suggested that somehow this preempts State laws. That is not the case. The restrictions an individual State imposes upon concealed carry laws that have been enacted by that State must be followed by any individual who has a concealed carry permit in their own State. In other words, the individual who travels to that State will be required to live under the laws that are on the books in that State.

But it does get at an issue which I think many have raised regarding people who travel across State lines all the time—truckdrivers, for instance, who on any given day take a cargo load from one State across several States in this country and want to be able to protect themselves as they do so. In many cases, they stay overnight in truckstops or pull over for a nap somewhere. Being able to possess a firearm that would enable them to have some level of self-protection and to deter crimes from being committed makes a lot of sense.

So the amendment is very straightforward and very simple. It is simply tailored to allow individuals to protect themselves while at the same time respecting States rights.”

If you would like to read Amendment 1618, click here.