Back off. I'll get a permit and I won't be afraid to use it.
By T.J. Wihera
Article Last Updated: 07/18/2008 10:02:40 PM MDT
Now that the Supreme Court recently — and narrowly — decided that the Second Amendment means what it says, I think I might just have to get a concealed carry permit.
It's not that I have anything to conceal — I don't own a gun.
So, why would I want a permit to carry something I don't have? It seems like a poor decision to invest time and money in the permit process for so little return.
I mean, to get a concealed carry permit in Colorado is an involved process. You must be at least 21 years of age, not be a felon or a drug addict, and not be named in any restraining orders.
Then, you must demonstrate competence with a handgun. Certification classes can last from three hours to a full day.
And, of course, there's paperwork. The permit application for Jefferson County is only two pages long. One must submit it in person, however, so whatever time was saved filling out forms is lost in the drive.
Getting a permit will also sting financially. Handgun classes cost between $75 and $150. The permit application process itself costs an additional $152.50 in Jeffco.
So, we're up to a minimum of three hours and $227.50, all for a card that says I can carry something I don't even have.
Why would I so much as consider it? Because I'm not ready to surrender my Second Amendment rights to the state. Yes, the Supreme Court did just rule in favor of those rights in D.C. vs. Heller. But a 5-4 decision by the highest court in the land isn't exactly an endorsement that leaves me comfortable that gun rights won't be waning anyway.
Minority opinions of the past have a nasty habit of making it into the majority opinions of the future. This is particularly disconcerting given that the majority opinion describes aspects of the dissent in D.C. vs. Heller as "dead wrong," or "bizarre," and even notes that the minority opinion uses a definition "no dictionary has ever adopted."
While I am pleased that the majority sided with the straightforward reading of the Second Amendment, I'm still bothered that I would even need to get a permit to exercise a right that, according to the Constitution, shall not be infringed. I can't think of another right that we need a permit to exercise, nor one for which I'd like a permit process to exist. Just imagine traffic stops if drivers needed permits to exercise their rights:
"Sir, could I please see your Eighth Amendment permit?"
"I'm sorry, I don't have one of those."
"That's a shame, because without it you will receive one lashing for every mile per hour over the speed limit you were driving. At 78 in a 55 zone . . . well, that's gonna hurt."
When you must apply for a permit to exercise your right, it is only a right in name.
Fortunately, I don't think that the Eighth Amendment (which limits the federal government's use of cruel and unusual punishment, among other things) is headed that way anytime soon.
But the Second Amendment is different. That the permit process exists is not something I can change. I can, however, apply for a permit, so that I may exercise that right if I choose. Were the state to begin limiting word use to those with permits, I would want a permit, even if I had nothing to say at that moment. The same goes for habeas corpus, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, the right to counsel, and all the rights protected by the Bill of Rights.
And that is why I want a concealed carry permit. Not because I own a gun. Not because I'm particularly worried about getting mugged. ("Stay back! I have a permit! Maybe I'm packing heat . . . Or maybe I'll give you a paper cut!")
No, I want the permit because defending that right now with a few hours and a couple hundred bucks is much cheaper than defending it years from now at God-knows-what cost.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_9928194
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