Coronavirus emergency order gun rights
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

By CCRKBA

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms cautioned law enforcement agencies that the coronavirus emergency should not be an excuse to suspend the process required for the issuance or renewal of concealed carry permits or licenses by any law enforcement agency.

“We’ve received reports from members and concerned citizens, especially in Washington State, that local law enforcement agencies are suspending license or permit application services, including the taking of fingerprints,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “That’s unreasonable because the right to bear arms shouldn’t be subject to administrative delays.

“We understand and sympathize with police and sheriff’s departments in the current COVID-19 situation,” he continued, “but there are ways to reduce the risk of disease transmission, such as wearing latex gloves and face masks, and washing your hands. You can even spray disinfectant on an application form if necessary.

“Besides,” Gottlieb observed, “we’re reasonably certain police agencies haven’t stopped processing and fingerprinting murder and rape suspects.”

For example, Gottlieb pointed to Washington State’s statute, which requires issuing agencies “to accept completed applications for concealed pistol licenses during regular business hours.” A completed application would include fingerprinting.

“Anyone who is unable to renew his or her carry license should automatically have the expiration date extended,” he suggested. “No person who is prevented from applying for a permit should be arrested or prosecuted for exercising his or her right to bear arms for personal protection.

“Concerns about spreading this virus should not be used as an excuse by any municipality to prohibit law-abiding citizens to carry their legally-licensed firearms outside the home or place of business,” Gottlieb stated. “It especially should not be used to prohibit sales of guns and ammunition. We’re aware of at least one Illinois city, Champaign, where such a prohibition could be part of a local emergency plan, and we’re keeping an eye on that situation.

“President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency doesn’t put our Constitution on hold,” Gottlieb concluded.

 

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

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49 COMMENTS

  1. I have been more concerned about this sort of thing than about catching the corona virus bug. Many of our so called representatives already despise our right to keep and bear arms so a declared state of emergency gives them opportunity to infringe further on our rights.

    • So, uhhhhh, is the current Dempanic – errr, uhhh, Pandemic, actually going to stop anyone carrying, just because they can’t get that piece of paper? Sometimes, you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do. Not that I’m suggesting that law abiding people should break the law or anything . . . .

  2. We all must remember what happened in New Orleans during the Katrina Hurricane.The mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagon took it upon himself to send out his law enforcement officers to disarm all owners of guns across his district.There were no due process rights afford the citizens.Many were threatened with jail or being shot if they didn’t comply.I as well as many others see this as nothing but a back door attempt to disarm legal gun owners and stifle their rights.I’m quite this mayor will find herself the object of a lawsuit to stop her from enacting this law.

    • Governor Fences of VA sent his flying monkeys — er — “law enforcement” to harass people in their homes, hundreds of miles away, before the lobbying day where 22,000 people gathered, and remained peaceful, blocked from access to their legislators, by fences.

      Mostly gun owners.
      All gun rightts advocates.
      Many openly carrying, up to .50 cal semi-autos.

      No violence. No assaults. No riots. No shootings. etc.

      • The emergency is they were neither scared off, nor provoked into violence (or even civil disobedience.)

        Kind of an emergency for the agenda, there.

  3. For gun-hating states/counties/towns, this is a Saul Alinsky moment. That is, a “never let a good crisis go to waste” kind of moment. Like what Jim has commented above, this is the perfect situation for gun-hating politicians to seize firearms simply because they can. Or think they can, anyway.

    • Those same politicians would be Pro Gun if someone would give them more money than Bloomberg is.

    • You mean like the emergency Corona19 funding bill?

      — With funding for non-related agenda items like abortion.

      — Permanent powers and support, vs. situational and one-off: eternal, universal wage support for absences in “emergencies”, with vague definition. (Hillary got elected. Must be an emergency. Here’s some money.)

      — Assorted unilateral emergency powers.

      — All passed in the dead of night (Why should Gov Soprano have all the fun.) with no chance to look at what’s in it. I guess they have to pass it, so we can see what’s in it.

      It’s like the screaming-D’s wanted to pork it up, get the talking points, or both, no matter how many people die.

  4. “State of Emergency Declarations Should Not Infringe on Americans’ Gun Rights.”

    Close, but no cigar. ‘Should’ is so non binding. The right word is ‘must’.
    Same as this: “…the right to bear arms shouldn’t be subject to administrative delays.” and all the other Mr. Gottlieb’s ‘shoulds’.

    Push back twice as hard, so you have some space for “reasonable compromise” in your demands. That is how leftists moved gun control goal posts from simple “Shall not be infringed!” to wide spread regulations and bans we have today.
    I want my cake back!

      • The cake is an uninfringed right to buy and carry my brand new muffled, short barreled, sub machinegun without beging for permission, proving that I have been a good boy and waiting for better part of a year. You know, like before the 1930s.

  5. Is it me or does it seem like every so often the whole world just goes full retard?

    • The world is full retard all the time.

      Sometimes they act out en masse. (I suspect their med deliveries are delayed, or something…)

  6. In the county where I live, the creeps who bought all the toilet paper are now selling it for $20 a roll in the Walmart parking lot.

    • If people were smart enough to prepare instead of sticking their heads in the sand they wouldn’t get any takers.

      That’s capitalism, baby.

  7. What is the constitutional basis for a government to order store closings, restaurant closings, private school closings, and to prohibit the transfer of property from one person to another? (Assuming these are all law-abiding).

    What is the constitutional basis for a local government ordering a curfew? For prohibiting or limiting assembly?

    This all seems criminal.

    • A lawyer called in to a radio program I listen to this week and explained that these restrictions can be legit as long as they’re applied consistently. So if they say (say) that churches must close but schools are still open, that wouldn’t pass muster. However saying no gatherings greater than X is apparently OK.
      No idea how that squares with the constitution, but the guy seemed to know what he was talking about.

    • This.
      And with regard to curfews I’ve been hearing talk of:
      I normally have no desire to leave my house after 8pm on a weeknight, but the second they say I’m not allowed out after 8 the libertarian in me wants nothing more than to take a 9pm stroll.

  8. I didn’t really think it would come to pass. (that my prepping of certain items and categories would actually wind up being prophetic and a boon).

    I casually started buying ammo during Obama’s reign of error and purchased some pistols and rifles near 2016 (out of an abundance of caution fully expecting the Dems to cheat and win the Presidential race).

    I recently decided to keep a larger stock of certain items (water, tp, canned goods) well before the virus escaped from China.

    I now find myself marveling at my precognitive facilities and watching with awe and surprise and shock as my neighbors and fellow citizens expose their lack of planning and hysteria. (induced by the enemedia but still).

    So I sit her at home prepared and needing little to no need to engage in large crowds fighting for the last of some needed items.

    I just hope my preparedness doesn’t bite me on the ass somehow.

  9. I would not want to live in certain places right now. Well, I would not want to live in them ever, but especially now.

    But very soon the police in most places are going to be waaay too busy to try and go around confiscating guns from everyone.

  10. Any “state of emergency” legislation, order, or policy w/o a built in sunset is a power grab.

    They’re not even content to merely grab the short-term graft. They gotta set up a long-term rent seeking scheme.

  12. I have a friend from Argentina who went through the currency collapse there in 2000 or 2001. He said that before the collapse, licenses/permits were relatively easy to get. Afterward if you already had one renewing was not too difficult but if you didn’t have one then getting a new one was almost impossible.

  14. Shouldn’t infringe huh?!? In ILL inois the fatazz governor Prickster just ordered closing all sit down restaurant’s and bars through the 30th. Both of my sons work at restaurant’s. And lots of old folks depend on restaurant’s for sustenance. Takeout “allowed”!!! It’s coming-sooner than later!!!

  15. I’m in Washington State and it’s simple, if said agency suspends applications and you’re already a holder of a valid or recently expired CPL, then you are automatically “graced” until which time a person can renew their permit. Graced meaning remaining valid. Since this state notifies CPL holders of an soon to expire permit, and as long as the permit has not expired more than 90 days, you are not required to be fingerprinted as LONG AS IT WAS RENEWED before 90 days has passed the expiration date on the permit. After 90 days, a person must submit a NEW application and that would require fingerprinting. RCW 9.41.070
    There’s hardly any reason for people to be having a panic over an expiring CPL. The only issue would be some cop with a hard-on over a permit that expired and giving the person a hard time. We ALL KNOW no cop would EVER DO THAT don’t we! That’s where the grace period should come in. Permits are valid after expiration for 90 days.

    • Thanks MIke
      You posted this while I was writing below
      While I can renew at my local PD I had heard that if you have to be fingerprinted again you have to to to the Seattle PD instead of the local PD
      Having to go to Seattle would be a pain.

      • Sorry I should have said that I am in south king county
        Obviously that wouldn’t be true of the rest of the state

  16. Oh Crap!
    My CPL expires in June
    I had to wait until now. as you can only re-new 90 days before the expiration date.
    I wanted to do this as early as possible because I had heard that they were already taking longer to replace them

    I was supposed to take off early Friday to go to my local PD to get it renewed.
    But I have a few millennials who have a hard time showing up for work 5 days in a row

    I am going to call the PD Monday afternoon
    I hope they don’t tell me not to come.

    I was more worried about renewing my drivers licence which I have to do in two weeks.
    Once you turn 70 you have to renew your drivers licence in person.
    If they put me off and it expires, I’m afraid I will loose my motorcycle endorsement.

    Guess I should have been more worried about my CPL

  17. Let me relate a little info I’ve learned in the last several weeks. Understand that this only pertains to my city/county. I’ve had the opportunity to attend a 10 week citizens police academy through our local law enforcement organizations. Where We have been allowed to carry while on patrol ride alongs. The subject of personal firearms has come up several times with different officers giving their part of the training. The absolute to a person response has been. They agree with and support lawful private firearms ownership and carry. Even in the police station where the training is taking place. When asked about confiscation of people’s firearms under some type of Red Flag Law,Legislative Action or Martial Law situation. The response has been unanimous. They would play no part in such actions. Why you might ask. Because they for one do not support such action against law abiding Citizens including themselves but, more importantly they simply want to continue to live. As well as their families. Our community is 25,000+ including the county. Basically everyone either knows who the law enforcement is and where they live or can easily find this information out. While this may not be the case in larger areas. My guess is if push comes to shove. You’ll see a lot of similar opinions and lack of action on the part of the people who’s Ass’s will be on the line. Since they know it won’t be the politicians and the bureaucrats who will be shot at. Best of Luck Out There Through These Tough Times. Keep You and Yours Safe and as always Keep Your Powder Dry.

    • Similar in my community/county. The patrol officers and deputies around here are squarely pro 2A although not so much the Chief and the Sheriff. There are a couple one horse outfits in small villages that have Barney Fife types, but they have been under the scrutiny of the state AG, and their numbers have begun to dwindle as budgets balloon and justification for existence diminishes.

  18. Sorry, this is off topic.
    But good news has to be shared.

    WA gun rights were under attack as we have never seen before.
    And while this is never over……..

    ……. Damn but we won!!…
    We lost on several bills
    The worst is the tax payer funded “Anti- gun Violence committee
    To which the state allows murders and rapist to be on the committee

    However our Gov & Attorney Generals key signature bills
    Assault Weapons Ban
    Mag Restriction to 10 rounds
    Failed to pass.

    Despite a Dem Gov and Dem control of both legislatures.

    … Joy, Joy, Joy…..

    • Lets just hope the rest of the state can override all west side votes for Inslee. I’m voting for Phil Fortunato.
      I’m sick to death of Inslee along with gun grabbing AG Ferguson.

  19. Gun Control? Its despicable roots are in the democrat party Jim Crow laws concocted to deny Black Americans their Second Amendment Rights. More or less gun control in America began when slaves were freed.
    Of course democrat elite and their useful idiots try to whitewash party history by claiming racist atrocities were limited to the south which is a lie because racist Jim Crow atrocities are documented in the north, south, east and west. The democrat party can lie all they want but they own the legacy of slavery, segregation, lynching, the kkk, Jim Crow, Eugenics, etc. Frankly…A Black American belonging to the democRat Party makes as much sense as a Jew belonging to the nazi party.
    Unfortunately gullible Black Americans who fall for democrat trinket promises do not realize they are still on the plantation.

  21. Times like this is when you will see the a mayor or governors true colors show through. If they have a personal distaste or hatred for something, be it alcohol or guns. You will see them try to ban sales during a self declared state of emergency. I have seen it happen in my state and there is no provision for states of emergency or sales bans of anything in our state constitution.

  22. It is despicable how these uppity bureaucrats think they can proclaim gun control while their hypocrite behinds have armed security. Sicko gun control zealots are on the same level as murderers, rapists, child molesters, kidnappers, tyrants, and perverts. They all want control of you and thanks to the Second Amendment the ratbassturds are not going to get it.

  23. Why would they,Oh yeah the totalitarian Marxist’s of the Commiecrat party, that’s why,Eff em and the jackass they rode in on.

  25. In my LGS yesterday I saw 15,000 rounds of assorted ammo sold along with 3 shottys and assorted handguns I was in the store for some trigger work, 2 of the men who bought shottys had to be shown how to load them never shot a 12 gauge in there life…o my!! and the gov Ron de Santis has mobilized the National Guard starting in miami last night ..but I get that in miami you either have money or you don’t no middle class worried about looting but state says it’s to hand out food and such…we shall see
    Hope for the best prepare for the worst

  28. “HB 147 Original 2020 Regular Session Hughes
    Abstract: Authorizes certain parishes to adopt or enforce certain ordinances or regulations regarding the sale, purchase, possession, ownership, transfer, transportation, license, or registration of firearms, ammunition, or components thereof.”
    HB 147 was prefiled by Jason Hughes a democrat from district 100(New Orleans) and will be a disaster for POTG if it becomes law. Presently it is in the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

    But, all is not lost, yet. “HB 686 Original 2020 Regular Session McCormick
    Abstract: Exempts certain persons from the crime of illegal carrying of weapons, and removes the requirement that a person possess a permit issued by the state of La. in order to carry a concealed handgun in the state of La.” HB 686 is also in the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
    HB 686 has 17 coauthors one of which is a democrat, believe it or not.
    Should HB 686 become law then HB 147 will be mute.
    My point here is that little good comes out of New Orleans these days or so it seems. No surprise that the mayor would overstep her authority.

  29. In Fl, the Dept of Agriculture Issues/renews Florida Weapons and Firearms Licenses. Some Tax Collector Offices are connected to the System and can Renew and Issue the FWFL on site. While contacting the Bay County Tax Office I was informed that they were no longer taking appointments/preforming that Service in order to restrict potential COVID-19 exposure/transmission. The renewal can be done OnLine but it took over an hour for it to accepet correct info, it had a dead Link to a Dept of State photo cropping editor; so 12 different photos/cropping/file sizes were submitted prior to acceptance (which went below 1/2 the max file size they list as the maximum! PITA! They did charge my Card in 2.5 Seconds. Lol

  30. Kinda defeats the purpose of having all these guns and stockpiled ammo if they’re just going to take it away when the shit hits the fan. Hmmm…

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