As President Biden pivots to the highly charged issue of gun control, key groups are urging him to respect the 105 million law-abiding gun owners and target instead illegal use of firearms.
Today, a growing organization that represents those with permits to carry concealed weapons said that instead of limiting access to guns, the president should nationalize legal permitting and end the patchwork of state regulations that range from tight bans to no restrictions.
“While we can agree that there are several ‘common sense’ and long overdue changes needed to our nation’s gun laws, we firmly believe that the path forward should be focused on supporting and protecting responsible, law-abiding Americans — not criminalizing and punishing them,” said a letter to Biden from the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.
The group, which has exploded in recent years to 550,000 members, rapped Biden’s use of last week’s anniversary of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, to call for more gun control, including universal background checks.
As gun groups have said in the past, gun control would not have prevented the shootings since the shooter passed a background check.
USCCA President Tim Schmidt also hit other proposals, including taxes, and argued that the way to stop criminals is for people to be armed and trained to use defensive weapons. His petition seeking national conceal carry reciprocity has 100,000 signatures.
His call echos others who are fighting Democratic plans to ban guns, impose gun and ammo registration, and raise taxes on arms.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry trade group, for example, blasted Democratic plans to eliminate liability protections for gun makers, a move many believe would put the jobs-rich industry out of business.
Biden’s efforts, backed by legislation proposed in the House, come as the sale of firearms has reached a peak and at a time when there are historic levels of new gun owners, especially African Americans and women.
Biden was an originator of the 1994 ban on “assault weapons,” semi-automatic weapons such as the AR-15. Since the ban ended, the guns have become the nation’s top seller with hunters and plinkers. He has blamed the guns for shooting deaths while others have cited the mental issues of shooters.
The divide in Washington on the issue is vast — and expanding. It is notable that a new member of the House, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, has pushed the envelope by winning a District permit to carry her gun. Other new members, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have vowed to make fighting gun control their top issue.
In his letter shared with Secrets, Schmidt said instead of punishing gun owners, the president should award them with the ability to carry universally.
“The U.S. Concealed Carry Association exists to help responsible Americans avoid danger, save lives and keep their families safe, and we believe that our elected leaders in Washington have an incredible obligation to pursue these same goals,” wrote Schmidt.
“National concealed carry reciprocity — not higher taxes or more stringent regulations on already responsible gun owners, and certainly not removing the means by which those responsible gun owners can defend themselves and their loved ones — is a truly ‘common sense’ reform that will help more Americans keep their families safe,” he said.
