Bellevue, WA -(Ammoland.com)- The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) today 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.
About CCRKBA
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.
Under Clinton the big worry was FEMA coming in and seizing guns, and having local LEOs and National Guard do their dirty work (see Katrina and New Orleans). Apparently it was a legitimate worry. Now we have a similar situation, only nation-wide and in many localities, there are already actions being taken to curtail the 2nd Amendment (closing gun stores, suspending CCWs, stopping gun shows, etc.). New Orleans may have been the training ground and it appears that the example has not been forgotten by authorities.
Any LE organization born of the progressive mindset will invariably look for ways to sneak their gun controls agendas past pro-gun lobbies and into law, and is why states like Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Illinois and New York, must be kept under strict observation during times like these. They will always be up to no good, and will without fail try to disguise what they’re doing as part of their overall mandate of doing what’s right and necessary. An ounce of prevention is worth their particular pound of cure any day of the week.
NO…it most certainly should NOT. We have been down this road before.
See U.S. 42 5207
Reports have surfaced here in Colorado that the Arapahoe County Sheriff is doing this. Colorado is a “shall issue” state so this is troublesome.
Lets compare and contrast other permitting being cancelled during this crisis. Is it guns only or does it extend to all other gov’t services?