Alaska Rep. Don Young
Alaska Rep. Don Young (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

“Gun ownership is a significant part of Alaska’s culture and lifestyle,” [Alaska Rep. Don] Young says. “When my constituents chose to legalize adult-use marijuana, they were not surrendering their Second Amendment rights. At a time when more individuals have been purchasing firearms for self-defense, sportsmanship, hunting, and countless other reasons, we have experienced a surge in state-level cannabis reforms.

“While we make progress in some areas, it is vital that we do not roll back progress in others….The federal government has no business unduly restricting responsible citizens from exercising their rights or restricting states from listening to their constituents and reforming marijuana laws. The GRAM Act bridges this gap. Given that it deals with both gun and marijuana rights, there really is something for those on both sides of the aisle to support.” …

In theory, as Young suggests, the bill should be attractive both to Democrats who support marijuana legalization and to Republicans who support federalism and the Second Amendment. In practice, however, the gun angle may turn off Democrats, while the pot angle may repel Republicans. Since the GRAM Act is a good test of legislators’ commitment to defending the Constitution, its prospects do not seem bright.

— Jacob Sullum in This 87-Year-Old Republican’s Bill Would Restore the Second Amendment Rights of Cannabis Consumers in States That Have Legalized Marijuana

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

81 COMMENTS

    • I can’t think of any good reason that weed-burners shouldn’t have 2A rights.
      But I just love pointing out to dope smoking anti-gunners that they are prohibited. Love. It. “At least we can keep the illegal drug users away from guns, amirite?”

      • Firearms, farm equipment, knives, etc. do not mix with bonehead mind altering substances.

        • Nor do they “mix” with alcohol, common pain medications, common muscle relaxers, numerous other substances, not to mention lack of sleep, a hot temper, etc. And of course there’s training, and background checks, and moral fitness. But “Mix” isn’t in the constitution. And even if people use any of these substances, they still have fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution. Just because they don’t “mix” doesn’t mean everyone who uses any of them should be prohibited.

          This is the gun grabber’s agenda, and you played right into it. Everyone does something “bad,” so nobody can be trusted with a gun. Don’t you see- it’s SO MUCH SAFER that way.

  2. Because being stoned to the bejesus and guns are a perfect match.
    “Get the kush and your Glock and meet me at the park.”
    At least they were creative with the name. The GRAM Act.
    When this fails they can have the OUNCE act.

    • How about the KILO act?!?😏 Honestly don’t care. Git yer pot the old fashioned way. From a dealer. NEVER let the feds know anything!

  3. This reminds me of the saying, “An American Libertarian is just a conservative who smokes pot (and wants to keep his 2nd Amendment rights).”
    This should appeal to Libertarians, if there are any in Congress. Rand Paul, perhaps? I don’t know; Rand Paul claims to be pro-liberty, but he breaks his alleged principles whenever it’s convenient for him, so I wonder if he really has any principles at all.

  4. If it is legal in your state it should not diminish your rights. Just like drinking, or smoking don’t. Your rights codified in the constitution are not up for debate or addendums or provisos.
    I don’t smoke, but that does mean I don’t support the rights of the individuals who do legally.
    People like to scream shall not be infringed when it applies to them, but calm up like a virgin on prom night when it doesn’t involve them.
    That is the wrong take.

  6. I’ve always understood that one of the core conservative Republican values was private property rights, the right to do what you want on the property you own without government interference.

    I’m wondering why it seems that conservatives now want to put government in my garden and tell me what I can and can’t grow on my own private property.

    The very epitome of hypocrisy.

    Of course, it’s more of the same with most so-called conservative values, is it more or less government to tell me who I can and can’t marry?

    Yes, the conservative Republicans do believe in the value of marriage, their hairless leader has had three marriages and committed adultery in all three, now that’s strong conservative Christian values right there.

    • Why ask government for permission to marry in the first place?
      Government sanctioned marriage is a relic of some feudal bullshit days gone by.

      Most everything marriage entails can be recreated with a lawyer and some signatures. The rest by just lying to assholes. All marriage gets you is a bigger tax bill in the interim and the loss of half your stuff if it falls apart.

      What these people really want is to use the force of government to compel others to accept, or pretend to accept, a lifestyle they themselves are not fully comfortable with otherwise they wouldn’t be using force of government to compel others to say it’s okay.

    • Marriage is a religious joining of 2 people. Most religions frown on same sex marriage. It 2 people want to tie their lives together in a secular way, it is fine with me. Call it a civil union, whatever. They them have to right to divorce and all that come with that. Since they can’t make babies, maybe that is God’s way of saying they should not raise children, so no adoption for them(as far as I am concerned).
      As long as the state can not force a religion to bless these unions in a religious sacrament, I am fine with it.
      Marriage is for the begetting of heirs and consolidation of wealth. If you have neither, there really is no reason for it.

      • “Call it a civil union, whatever.“

        Like most people, they want to call it a ‘marriage’.

        “Since they can’t make babies, maybe that is God’s way of saying they should not raise children, so no adoption for them(as far as I am concerned).“

        “God’s way of saying”? I’m glad we have you to tell us what is in the mind of God, very enlightening! If a bit presumptuous.

        Sure glad we have that wall of separation between church and state so religion is like you can’t control the American government.

        And regarding core conservative values, is it more government or less government when you tell someone whether or not they can adopt children? Asking for a friend…

    • In Florida the governor signed a law where if we protest for our 2A rights, if 3 people out of thousands break a law, we can be guilty of association. It’s happening all over the country in 35 states. Kiss your 2A rights goodbye people.

      • “In Florida the governor signed a law where if we protest for our 2A rights, if 3 people out of thousands break a law, we can be guilty of association.“

        Last I checked, the state government is completely controlled by Republicans so it seems they are unhappy that the people have a first amendment right to free speech.

        It seems they are operating on the principle of ‘collective guilt’, a core attribute of Nazi oppression.

        Smells like… Fascism.

  8. I propose a CRACK bill so that crackheads rights aren’t infringed.
    “I don’t smoke, but that does mean I don’t support the rights of the individuals who do legally.”
    Why does that smell of a skunky lie?
    It’s the right take, people who are dope addicts have two choices:
    1) Smoke dope and lose your rights to guns because you aren’t right in the head.
    2) Don’t smoke dope and be a “proper person” who enjoys their rights.
    Before this woke crap I thought most people grew out of the weed BS after high school.

      • That would be correct but if I did I wouldn’t be playing with guns.
        That’s how people and things get “accidentally” shot.

        • No dope, no booze, got it. Probably no prescription drugs either. And give up meat, aw heck go full vegan. Of course no tobacco, duh.
          Fundamental civil rights are for the “clean” and “pure.” Repeat after me: “It’s for the greater good.”

        • There are many people that use illegal drugs responsibly. If you get enjoyment from them and it doesn’t negatively affect your life, it is your choice.
          Yes, there are many people out there who should not have firearms. If they use illegal drugs and it doesn’t control their life(and don’t mess with firearms while high or drunk), they should be able to live their lives as they see fit. If they live on the street, maybe they should store their firearms somewhere off the street.

        • “Representative Rodney Davis has a “B” rating from NORML for his voting record on cannabis-related causes. He supports veterans having access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state. He supports industrial hemp farming and medical marijuana research.“

          So Rep Rodney Davis believes if veterans are prescribed medical marijuana they should Lose their 2A rights, got it!

  9. Nothing is wrong with marijuana. Hell alcohol is worse and is addictive and cause a lot of carnage so I support this bill as I grow marijuana legally and own guns legally. I don’t harm anyone

    • I went with a buddy of mine to a restaurant in Denver a couple of years ago. Soon as we ordered, three stoners came it and sat at the next table. The reek was far worse than cigarette smoke. We got our order to go and left. F*ing degenerates shouldn’t be allowed out in public.

    • A guy down the road a few miles from me grows and smokes the shit all the time. As a result, he’s a useless POS. He can’t hold down a job. His property looks like crap. He attracts unsavory characters at all hours of the day and night. Everyone else in the area hates his guts and hopes he ODs some day.

        • Legalizing dope is just another slide down the long slope of degeneracy in this country. The Founding Fathers said that freedom only works for people of good character. There are fewer and fewer citizens of good character these days, given drunks, dope fiends, the obese, and other degenerates that can’t keep their lives in order, so the chaos spreads and people cry for government to come in and restore order. Then they complain about government. It’d be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic.

        • “Legalizing dope is just another slide down the long slope of degeneracy in this country.”

          Holier than thou? Check.
          Anti-rights? Check.
          “Freedom for me, but not for thee…” Check.

          “It’d be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic.”

          Yeah… you got that right.

          So many posters here want to have freedom for things that they consider important or desirable, but don’t give a rat’s ass about freedom for others… It truly IS tragic.

          And in the end, that will be the downfall of gun owners. Most of you refuse to allow others the same freedoms that you hold so dear… the freedom to decide how to live one’s own life. Tragic.

      • I’d hazard a guess that all this unsavoriness comes about because he simply IS an unsavory person. The weed is just a feature, not the cause.

        All the frequent pot users I know are decent people who hold down jobs and do a good job raising their children. I won’t associate with people who *aren’t* decent humans in the first place, which probably has something to do with that experience…but I haven’t had to cut anyone out of my life because of the demon weed, either.

        It’s like alcohol that way. It can make somebody more or less of what they already are, but it won’t fundamentally change anybody.

        • A drunk driver could kill someone. A stoned driver might miss his exit…

      • Does he borrow money from you?. Does his yard affect yours? His choice of friends only allowed on His property with the communities approval?

        Your all about freedom and rights.

  11. Truly amazing! An ACT for this? Lol

    It would be better to just remove the drug question from the 4473.

  12. Any behavior by an individual should be legal, unless and until that behavior causes physical damage, physical injury, death or dismemberment. Once convicted, it is a mandatory life without the possibility of parole; a sentence not reviewable by any court.

    As I always say, “Repeal all laws, and “crime” ends immediately.”. “An armed society is a polite society”. “All freedom grows out of the barrel of a gun.” “To be, or not to be isn’t even a real question.”

    • I say let them ingest whatever substances they want. But the rest of us shouldn’t rescue them. Lose your job because you’re a dope fiend? Sorry, no welfare or unemployment for you. Your kids are f*ed up because you do drugs? Sorry, that’s your problem; no foster homes or children’s service for them. House burn down because you passed out? Maybe your trailer blew up because you were cooking meth. Sorry, insurance (funded by the rest of us) won’t pay.

      Let them live in the squalor they willingly created.

  13. So many ignorant and prejudiced comments here and on the Facebook page. No wonder the gun grabbers are winning.

    • Oh no we are offending and upsetting people on Facebook.
      Big Hint: We do that by just having a website, it has little to do with our comments.
      They made up their minds long before they read TTAG.

      • Good morning fake Miner49er!

        Thank you so much for reminding me of a great American, Dick Bong.

        Usually your posts are full of nonsense but today, you have inspired me to take a moment to remember the exploits of a true American hero.

  14. Guns don’t mix with booze or drugs. The BATF demonstrated this at Waco where the four deceased agents were all shot with bullets consistent with the .308 and 5.56mm rifles employed by the BATF snipers who somehow managed to fire three dozen rounds without hitting any of the Branch Davidians.

  15. I don’t get the anti-drug people. They are almost as bad as the anti-weapon people. They are definitely as historically challenged. Many here know that before the NFA you could buy automatic weapons and explosives “over the counter”. Prior to 1914 and the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Narcotics_Tax_Act

    . . . you had almost the same situation with drugs. A bunch of misguided people of the religious left brought us these bad pieces of legislation as well as the prohibition of alcohol. Drugs are everywhere just like guns. Many people use them everyday. Bad things happen as well as good (and alot in between), kinda like weapons. You can pick and choose which freedoms you want to recognize but the inconsistencies are glaring.

    People! Can we move past the drugs and guns are bad mkay mentality? This crap is like fire, you got to manage it.

    • Starting in late 1800s our ancestors figured out that all manner of dope (including pot) were NOT compatible with productive civil society. And outlawed it. NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

      Your right to self defense predates ANY government. In the US the right to weapons is guaranteed in the 2nd.

      The two issues could only be conflated in the “mind” of a useless pothead/druggie.

      • Your right to grow and ingest whatever you want also predates any government. It’s one of many human rights so fundamental that putting them in a constitutional amendment would’ve been an insult to human intelligence.

        The idea that a right isn’t legitimate unless it’s been enumerated in a government document could only exist in the “mind” of a useless collectivist. (Or maybe it’s a common mistake that many people fall into…but I’m just following your lead here.)

        • “Your right to grow and ingest whatever you want also predates any government.“

          Correct.

          Unless you are a fan of big government who thinks that bureaucrats in Washington have control over what you grow in your garden or what kind of sex you have in the bedroom.

        • How very libertarian of you.

          But you’ve said before that you are a fan of big government erecting barriers to acquiring the tools of self-defense, which is another natural human right that predates any government…how do you square that one?

  16. I’m all for MJ use, especially medically. If it can reduce the dependence on Big Pharma I’m for it. There are a lot of people who suffer from chronic pain induced by horrific accidents, wounded in combat, diseases such as cancer ect, you name it.

    The medical community is now terrified to prescribe ‘narc’s for fear the DEA will start license removal proceedings because of the alleged “Opioid Crisis”. So what does a person do who wants pain relief? Ether turn to Street drugs or alcohol. What other choice is there? Yoga or Acupuncture!? That’s exactly what the VA is prescribing to veterans who suffer daily since they are terrified of the DEA too.

    • It’s not that the VA is afraid of the DEA. It’s the vets that know if they get a medical MJ card they will become federally prohibited. No more buying guns from a FFL and if you do, you will be flagged on the 4473 if you lie.

      The VA sends god knows how many pills through the mail. They can be statins, they can be various opioids or whatever. I know a couple of vets get bottles of Vicodin or other opioids through the mail. Fentanyl patches must be dispensed at a VA hospital. The vets who are in serious pain get fentanyl patches and the newest thing is methadone pills.

      The one thing that most vets DONT want is to be flagged by a doctor as having PTSD. They actually doctor shop at the local VA hospital for a doctor that will prescribe drugs for their PTSD but not put PTSD as a diagnostic code. They will score pot but not with a medical marijuana card at a dispensary.

      They don’t want to have suffered physical or mental injuries just to get flagged. They fought for our country and the last thing they want is to be stigmatized. My much older cousin has shrapnel from a grenade still in him from when he was in Vietnam and the amount of painkillers the VA send him is staggering. He tried some pot from a dispensary and wants nothing to with it. He said it was just too much for him. He was wasted and didn’t like it. It wasn’t the pot he remembered. He did self medicate for years, he was basically an alcoholic. Now he eats vicodins like candy and you wouldn’t know it.

      The one thing that is not being addressed is the pot that the dispensaries have is not say the pot that was smoked when they were younger. Lets take Vietnam vets like my cousin as an example, the pot they smoked was 3-4% THC. Going into the 80’s lets say that pot went about 8% THC. (There really aren’t a lot of studies about this) Onto modern day: You can walk into a dispensary and easily find pot that is over 30% THC. You can buy vape pens filled with oil that are 50% THC per hit. Pot has evolved into a completely different drug.

      People who would get buzzed now get floored. States make insane amounts of money on taxes on the pot. It’s an easy revenue source for them.

      Does this super potent pot have medical use? I would say yes because it’s so potent that it’s a totally different drug. This isn’t some green homegrown pot that people are growing their gardens, it’s been so genetically modified that it does have medical use.

      The problem is that it is still classified as a Schedule I drug by the United States. That means in their eyes it has no medical use. Until the government changes that the Form 4473 is going to have the question:
      “11.e. Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”

      This a serious issue without easy answers. In most states you can have a gun but you cannot buy it through an FFL if you have a medical marijuana card. You can buy it through a private sale and in most states that’s perfectly legal. This a generalization as different states have different laws.

      This is an interesting read: https://potguide.com/blog/article/medical-cannabis-patients-own-guns/

      Basically there are ways to skirt the federal laws but I’m not advocating that. I figured I would just give my opinion on what’s really a complicated matter, especially with the new administration in office.

  18. Fixing this Federal-State law snafu is the right thing to do. Engaging in any lawful activity should not ban a person from owning a gun.

    Being under the influence of booze, pot or any sort of impairing drug should always be a reason to NOT touch your guns, leave them be until you sober up. If you fail to behave responsibly there are already laws addressing public intoxication, reckless assholery, etc.

  19. You guys who call pot smokers “dope fiends” must be operating under the belief that Reefer Madness is a documentary.

  20. “Repeat after me: “It’s for the greater good.” ”

    Ignoring “the greater good” entirely is simply anarchy. Misuse of the term “greater good” is an entirely different matter.

    • As with all Words. Who, that gets to decide the definition of words has the Power. The Victor writes the History.

  21. “Just because they don’t “mix” doesn’t mean everyone who uses any of them should be prohibited. ”

    Anybody who does anything I don’t like should lose all their constitutionally protected rights, permanently.

  23. EVERYONE KNOWS , NOTHING NEW , DRINKING OR USE OF DRUGS AND WEAPONS DON’T MIX WELL . LIKE DRIVING DWI , DUI . DUMB A@# HOLE PEOPLE RUIN IT FOR REST OF US SOBER PEOPLE .

  25. Many libertarians sat out the last election. Voting red was just selecting a different set of government restrictions than voting blue.
    Reading the comments made me wonder if they might not be right. Especially enjoyed the ones that talk about freedom and then launch into ways they would limit it.

  26. “Especially enjoyed the ones that talk about freedom and then launch into ways they would limit it.”

    Agree. Any restriction on human behavior violates the natural, human and civil right of freedom of the individual.

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