New York, N.Y. –-(Ammoland.com)- If ever there existed a testament to the need for universal concealed handgun license reciprocity, New York City is glaring proof of it.
August 3, 2015, an honest U.S. citizen, Marine Corps veteran, resident of Texas, and mother of three, was visiting the 9/11 memorial with her friend in the City, when she was arrested for carrying two handguns. The story appeared, August 3, 2015, in the New York Post, under the title, “Pistol Packin’ Mama Under Fire.”
The person arrested, Elizabeth Anne Enderli, does possess a valid concealed carry permit. But, Mrs. Enderli’s concealed carry pistol permit was issued in Texas, not in New York City. Her Texas concealed carry license isn’t recognized as valid in New York City or, for that matter, anywhere else in the State of New York. Mrs. Enderli didn’t know that. And, since she doesn’t also possess a valid, unrestricted New York City handgun concealed carry license, she found herself spending the night in jail rather than in her hotel room.
An otherwise law-abiding American citizen became a de facto law-breaker simply because she was unaware of the impact of New York City’s restrictive gun laws.
Mrs. Enderli was subsequently arraigned on weapons possession charges. If convicted, she could face prison time. Is this just a quirk? Unfortunately, the answer is “no.” What happened to Mrs. Enderli, could happen to any honest and otherwise law-abiding American citizen, and, in fact, has happened to other honest, law-abiding American citizens – with disturbing regularity.
But, this should not happen and need not happen. It would not happen if each State recognized the validity of a concealed handgun carry license issued by other States. Curiously, according to the New York Post, Texas does recognize the validity of New York firearms’ licenses, and has done so since 2006, even as New York does not recognize the validity of Texas firearms’ permits.
This might explain why Mrs. Enderli thought, reasonably enough, although wrongly, that her Texas concealed handgun carry permit was valid in New York.
Handgun license reciprocity ought not to be so blatantly one-sided. State reciprocity is not, we see, always reciprocal.
The irrationality of firearms’ laws such as those of New York does not lead to the repeal of them because the goal of these laws has little if anything to do with reducing crimes committed with guns – and the laws, not surprisingly, fail.
Restrictive firearms’ laws have more to do with disarming the honest, law-abiding American citizen – and the laws, on that score, not surprisingly, tend to succeed.
New York’s firearms’ laws were, clearly enough, not designed – were never really designed – to encourage the exercise of one’s Second Amendment right of self-defense. They were designed, rather, with the opposite goal in mind: to discourage the exercise of that right. But, why is that? Why does New York City – and the State of New York, for that matter – make it so difficult for the average, honest, law-abiding citizen to secure for him or herself a concealed handgun carry license merely to exercise the natural right of self-defense as embodied in and guaranteed by and though the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
Consider: the law-abiding American citizen and motorist needs one and only one valid driver’s license, issued by any one State, to secure the privilege of driving a motor vehicle lawfully in any other State. It is extremely odd that the same law-abiding American citizen must secure multiple State-issued concealed handgun carry licenses and permits, merely to exercise his or her natural right of self-defense, as sanctified in the Second Amendment.
If the one license is so easy to obtain but amounts merely to a privilege proffered by a State government — which that government may refrain from granting to a citizen because the granting of a license to drive a vehicle on public roads is a government sanctioned privilege, not an inalienable right – why is the other so difficult to secure, when the right of self-defense – the effective right of self-defense that a firearm provides – is so much more than the mere privilege to drive an automobile on a public road?
The right of self-defense is a basic and fundamental right existent in the individual and, therefore, a thing that neither a State Government, nor the federal government, can justifiably deny to a citizen, absent sufficient and good cause for doing so.
For those readers who are interested in the issue of handgun carry reciprocity, please visit our website: www.arbalestquarrel.com. The complete, unabridged article, “Who’s Packing in New York City,” is posted on our website. Also, see our article, “A Road Trip with a Handgun: The Case for Universal Handgun Reciprocity,” posted on July 12, 2015. We explain, in detail, the merits of universal concealed handgun carry reciprocity, and respond to those who criticize it. In future articles we explain just how arduous, time-consuming, and expensive it is for a law-abiding American citizen to secure concealed handgun carry licenses and permits from a plethora of States.
About The Arbalest Quarrel
Arbalest Group created `The Arbalest Quarrel’ website for a special purpose. That purpose is to educate the American public about recent Federal and State firearms control legislation. No other website, to our knowledge, provides as deep an analysis or as thorough an analysis. Arbalest Group offers this information free.
I’m native Texan and I’ve had my Texas CHL since ’95 (the first year it came out) ! What happened to this woman should be a criminal act,but not with her being the criminal. NYC,Cuomo,make me sick and pissed off at the same time. But I do have to add this. With all the publicity that NYC has got the last few years with their tyranny and total disdain for the 2A and our constitutional rights,and personal freedoms,this woman should had known better than to carry in NYC on her Texas CHL ! With all things like they are right… Read more »
Ignorance of the law has never been a defense against it. She was an idiot.
NYS, NYC , CT , NJ all traitors to the Constitution they swore to up hold.
Everytime a person picks up a copy of travel guide about travling with a firearm they always say CHECK THE LOCAL AND STATE LAWS ON CARRYING BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME!!!! Her fault for not checking. It’s easier to check than go to jail.
living in upstate NY I know to steer clear of NYCity—-I have a NYState permit–but it isn’t good for the city—be careful as the City has a virtual army of police officers last I saw 38000 — so just beware when coming to NY state and especially careful coming to the City of NY
Why go to NYC? Or NY? If you are not welcome, live and spend your money elsewhere!
It seems to me that, all the facts are not being reported in this article. With all the news in many sources, about New York’s neanderthal like firearms laws lately, where has Mrs. Enderli been? I sympathize with her predicament, but her ignorance is not a reson to be alarmed. New York is a unique place with unique rules and laws. Firearms laws, there, have been well publicized, lately, and there is really no excuse for Mrs. Enderli’s failure to be informed. I visited the 9/11 monument in December of last year, and I have never seen such a large… Read more »
Actually, Mrs. Enderli did not attempt to hide the fact that she was carrying firearms . She declared them. The “Post” reporter said that Mrs. Enderli had informed the police she was carrying two handguns and that she wanted to know where she could store them. The reporter also said that Mrs. Enderli did not know that her Texas concealed carry permit was null and void in New York. Not everyone keeps abreast of the news. Granted, Mrs. Enderli should have been aware of that fact. Still, we might infer that Mrs. Enderli knew and therefore reasonably expected that, since… Read more »
As I stated in the first sentence of my comment, “all the facts are not being reported in this article.” Now I learn that Enderli, esentually turned herself in, by asking to store her firearms! What else would you care to add so readers get the whole story? Your statement that ” not everyone keeps abreast of the news” , is at best, disingenuous, and neither of us knows the facts in that arena. I would direct you to the Texas CCW website and for that matter the information contained in websites and state’s literature regarding reciprocity between every state… Read more »
Dear Mr. Butler, It was not my intention to be selective in reporting the news about Mrs. Enderli, that I might dupe the reader in some way. Obviously, I cannot quote the entire news article in a limited space; and the “fair use” doctrine would not permit me to do so anyway. But I did provide, for you and everyone else, a link to the actual article. I wasn’t attempting to hide anything. I hoped and, in fact, fully expected that the reader of my article would take a look at the actual New York Post article. And, I think… Read more »
Heck – New York City doesn’t even honor permits issued from elsewhere in New York state.
Where is the NRA on National Reciprocity? Yes, they’ve said they support it but what have they done to REALLY push it and get it through?
When push comes to shove the NRA does nothing !
Can she just go back to Texas and plead with the governor to not extradite?