Conservative American,
Last week, Mark Meckler, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, was arrested at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on a gun charge! He currently faces 15 years in prison. Yet, he had in his possession a concealed-carry permit.
He has been released following his arraignment, charged with a felony, with a court date set for January 12th in New York City.
Many pro-gun activists have said that he was possibly “singled out” by the Obama administration because of him being who he is. Tea Party Patriots is one of the largest tea-party organizations. He actually showed police his pistol permit and explained – and had paperwork to prove it – that the weapon is registered in California.
Due to his high-visibility position, Meckler has had several threats against his life.
Brian Stapleton, Meckler’s lawyer, gave a brief statement to the media: “Mark Meckler, an attorney and national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, who holds a concealed-carry permit from the state of California, today was charged with a firearm violation at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
“While in temporary transit through the state of New York in possession of an unloaded, lawful firearm that was locked in a (Transportation Security Administration)-approved safe, he legally declared his possession of the firearm in his checked baggage at the ticket counter as required by law and in a manner approved by TSA and the airline, yet was arrested by port authority for said possession.”
He was not hiding the weapon as he declared it. He is licensed to carry the gun in his home state of California. However, New York has much stricter gun control regulations that reveal his California permit is not valid in New York.
On November 16th, the House passed H.R. 822, the concealed carry gun bill, by a margin of 272 – 154. The purpose of this bill is that a state permit to carry a concealed firearm would be valid in almost every other state in the United States.
But as of yet, it has not been taken up in the United States Senate. This, of course, is no consolation to Meckler. We must ensure that the Senate passes this House bill. Your faxes will help to accomplish this. Please, it is imperative that you fax today!
H.R. 822 will allow individuals with valid state-issued concealed firearm permits or licenses to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that also issues concealed firearm permits or licenses, or in any other state that does not generally prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms. Of course concealed weapons are banned at all sporting events, bars and state parks.
H.R. 822 requires the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an audit of the laws and regulations of each state that authorizes the issuance of a valid permit or license to permit a nonresident to possess or carry a concealed firearm. The audit will include a description of the permitting or licensing requirements of each state that issues concealed carry permits and licenses issued or denied (and the basis for the denial) by each state, and the effectiveness of state laws and regulations in protecting public safety.
This was the very first pro-gun bill to be introduced in the House since U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was near-fatally injured in a gun shooting this past January. In spite of that, the measure comfortably passed.
Each state has different concealed weapons regulations. However, only Illinois and the District of Columbia forbid the concealed carrying of weapons.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), chief co-sponsor of H.R. 822, described his legislation as making “it easier for law-abiding permit holders to know that they are simply in compliance with the law when they carry a firearm as they travel.”
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, praised the piece of legislation: “The Second Amendment is a fundamental right to bear arms that should not be constrained by state boundary lines.”
Please let your Congress know that the Senate must offer a parallel bill. Of course there may be a “compromise” bill that gets kicked back to the House—so we must fax right away!
Meckler was taken into custody as he was checking in for his Delta flight. He presented the locked safe with the Glock 27 pistol and 19 cartridges of ammunition.
Richard Brown, the Queens District Attorney, admonished: “Before leaving home, passengers should acquaint themselves with the weapon laws of the jurisdiction that they are visiting and comply with any and all legal requirements if they choose to travel with a weapon. Otherwise, they may find themselves being arrested and charged with a felony – as is what occurred in this case.”
Had the United States Senate passed a parallel bill to H.R. 822, Meckler would not be facing up to 15 years in prison on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
Unfortunately, many expect the mainly anti-gun United States Senate to turn H.R. 822 into an ANTI-Gun bill!! YES, another political antic by the Democratically-controlled Senate.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mark Meckler as he believed he was following all the TSA rules. Now, this Tea Party leader is facing prison time—which would not have happened in most States!
That’s why we need for you to fax our Congress today! The concealed-weapons carry permit must have reciprocity in every state!
Please, you fax is urgently needed today!
Your Second Amendment guaranteed freedoms are at stake! FAX TODAY!
P. S. How dare Congress play “political football” with the concealed-carry permit? This leader needs to be freed, because he was following the rules, at least the rules of his home state of California where the firearm was registered. Your fax is absolutely needed now to make sure that the U.S. Senate passes a parallel bill to H.R. 822!
You can also CLICK HERE to send a FREE message directly to YOUR U.S. Representative and Senators!
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