If You Have to Ask Permission, It’s Not a Right

It’s now legal to carry a handgun without a permit in Oklahoma.  The law passed in February and took effect November 1st after court challenges failed.  Most Oklahomans 21 and over can now carry firearms - concealed or openly - without a background check or training.  There are exceptions for illegal aliens and certain criminal convictions, as well as for public buildings, bars, sporting events, and other venues.

Twenty states have some form of constitutional carry.  Constitutional carry was the law in all states until the 19th century.  The situation reversed by the 20th century when all states, except Vermont, passed concealed carry bans and most states required citizens to get a permit.  For this reason, permitless carry is sometimes called ‘Vermont carry’. 

It’s no accident that Vermont is the safest state in the country in terms of violent crime statistics.  Funny how that works.  But don’t expect facts and logic to make a dent on the Left.

It would be better to call it ‘natural rights carry’.  If you have to ask permission or get government approval, it’s not really a right, is it?  Carry without a permit makes perfect sense when viewed through the lens of natural rights.  Rights are not something the government gives you. As an American, you are born with unalienable rights, just like the Declaration of Independence says. Some say these rights come from nature, and call them ‘natural rights’. Others say they come from God, and call them ‘God-given rights’.  The point is, YOUR RIGHTS DON’T COME FROM GOVERNMENT, or even the Constitution.  

To those who find it strange that U.S. citizens should not have to ask government for permission to own a gun, I ask is it any more strange than free speech or freedom from search and seizure without a warrant based on probable cause?  I’ll tell you what would be strange - having to get a license from the government before exercising any of your free speech rights, or paying government a fee to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.  THAT would be strange. 

Four more states are considering permitless carry.  Good!  We could use a little more natural rights theory around here.  And a little less authoritarianism from the Left, okay Beto?  Then I wouldn’t feel like such a target when I have to go to the DMV, a gun-free zone here in my state of Virginia.