Congress has no business interfering with states' laws on concealed-carry permits
July 24, 2009

From state to state, all concealed-carry permits are not created equally. Some states have lax standards for issuing permits to residents wishing to carry concealed guns.

Enough U.S. senators recognized these differences on Wednesday to vote down an amendment to a defense-spending bill that would have forced Ohio and the other 47 states with concealed-carry laws to extend these rights to anyone with a permit from any state. A supermajority of 60 senators was needed to pass the measure, and it fell short by two votes. Both Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and George V. Voinovich, a Republican, were among the 39 senators who voted no.

A group representing more than 450 city mayors across the U.S., including Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, called this measure a "new national lowest common denominator" for gun-carrying laws. Mayors Against Illegal Guns, headed by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, sent a protest letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Forced reciprocity is a terrible idea. In fact, Ohio already has reciprocity agreements with 18 other states, and they all ought to be reviewed to ensure that the other states' concealed-carry requirements are in sync with Ohio's.

In February, The Dispatch protested Ohio's agreement with Utah, after learning of reports that some Utah concealed-carry instructors, who can live anywhere in the country, aren't actually training people in gun use and safety. They are simply pocketing applicants' money and rubber-stamping the permits.

A permit in Utah is cheaper than in many other states, an applicant doesn't have to be a Utah resident, and the required training is a four-hour course with no firearms practice. Ohio, on the other hand, requires residency for at least 45 days and a 12-hour class, which includes two hours of shooting.

Ohio also holds an agreement with Alaska, which, unlike this state, allows people who have been convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes to carry a concealed gun.

But at least these are voluntary agreements. If this amendment had been successful, it would have been an unacceptable infringement on the rights of states and communities to set their own laws and protect their residents as they see fit.