|
|
|
|
Back to President's Corner Main Page President's Corner - Apr 2006 The issues surrounding Concealed Carry should be of interest to all of us. Concealed Carry was not on the Governors call for the recent 30 day Legislative Session nor should it have been. The 30 Day Legislative Session is intended to prepare an annual State budget for the following year. The introduction of non budgetary legislation requiring debate and deliberation into the 30 day session is usually unwise. The 30 day session simply is not long enough for the Legislature to resolve substantive issues. Current legislation allowing concealed carry in New Mexico is only the basic platform required to build a truly effective concealed carry law. All parties, both proponent and opponent, involved in passage of the existing legislation recognize that the current law is a starting point. The creation of Statutory Authority for concealed carry in New Mexico represents a major declaration of public policy by our elected representatives, but compromises required for the passage of the legislation, other related statutes and findings of the appellate courts all interact to limit the right to carry concealed in New Mexico. Good effective general legislation is usually the product of debate requiring two to three legislative sessions. Passage of the current concealed carry legislation required a strong lobbying effort over many years, supportive periphery issues and determined influential legislators. It is reasonable to expect the needed improvements in the law will require the same or more effort than that required to pass the initial legislation. The effort to improve the law will be dependent on the input from a broad citizen base. The public policy is now on the record, how concealed carry evolves as a practical part of life in New Mexico is the responsibility of the citizens using the law and the citizens impacted by the law. Obviously only a limited number of citizens will choose to carry concealed but all citizens are potentially impacted by the act of carrying concealed. The Second Amendment is a national strategy in support of personal freedom and gives to the citizens the means to protect their freedom, life, family and property. Concealed carry laws are a tactic in support of the national strategy allowing for an armed citizenry and as such can become the focus of the greater debate. Strong supporters of the Second Amendment may also have legitimate concerns with concealed carry. It is important that all citizens who support the Second Amendment understand the issues surrounding concealed carry and participate in the debate. A future President’s corner will discuss:
|
Safety is not just the Number One Issue, It is THE MORAL ISSUE! |
|
Send mail to Zia
Webmaster with
questions or comments about this web site.
|