NRA helping the "Only Ones"

Some gun rights advocates were at least a little pleased back in 2004, with passage of the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA). LEOSA established a system whereby active, and even retired, law enforcement officers could be licensed to carry a concealed firearm anywhere in the U.S.--a national reciprocity carry law for "Only Ones," basically. Those in the gun rights advocacy camp who supported it, despite the fact that it doesn't do most of us any good, did so, apparently, thinking of it as a "foot in the door" for national reciprocity for everyone.

That seems a rather overly optimistic belief, but my main objection was the perpetuation of the two-tiered society, when it comes to armed self-defense--you have "Only Ones," whose right to carry a gun for self-defense would not depend on state borders--and then you have the rest of us. Besides, it seems to me that it would be easier to get cops (both active and retired) to join in advocacy of national right to carry, if they were in the same boat as the rest of us.

Apparently, though, "Only Ones" are annoyed that many jurisdictions place too many bureaucratic obstacles in the way of obtaining this elite status, necessitating, we're told, a "Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act Improvement Act."

Under current law, retired law enforcement officers are subject to complicated and duplicative document certification procedures to carry concealed weapons. Differing interpretations of the implementation of the law often leads some states to refuse to issue the required documentation. H.R. 3752 would establish measures of uniformity and cut through the bureaucratic red tape by enabling a firearms instructor to certify that retired law enforcement officers meet the active duty standard for firearms training. This would allow law enforcement officers who are retired or who separated in good standing after at least ten years of service to carry a concealed weapon.

You know what? Things are tough all over. If cops are upset about the state-mandated hoops they're made to jump through, perhaps they ought to join in the fight to get rid of some of those hoops for all of us.

The NRA disagrees, and supports H.R. 3752. Surprise, surprise.

David has more.