MD’s Gay Marriage Edict Fuels Concealed Carry Fervor

OK, this one’s a bit of a stretch. But I swear I’m not making it up. Start with this: yesterday, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler issued an opinion stating that Maryland may recognize gay marriages performed in other states. [53 page pdf here]. Setting aside the usual uproar about unconstitutional fiats, columnist Ann Miller then wonders, what about citizens with concealed carry permits from outside the state? Writing for Southern Maryland Online, curmudgeon Ron Miller takes up the newborn media meme. (What’s the bet Rush fools in?) “The right to keep and bear arms stands on much firmer legal footing than the redefinition of marriage, which is currently forbidden in 40 states. Therefore, we should ‘give full faith and credit to the laws of’ the 39 states that have ‘shall-issue’ laws, meaning state officials may not arbitrarily deny a citizen’s concealed-carry application.” Go on . . .

The empirical evidence favors such a ruling, since states that enacted “right-to-carry” laws have seen dramatic decreases in violent crime, and even opponents of the laws have admitted they aren’t as bad as they believed. Law-abiding citizens have proved to be quite responsible with guns, which may shock the nannies in our General Assembly, the condescending lawmakers who think we’re all gap-toothed idiots itching to shoot something.

So if it’s OK to recognize gay “marriages” in Maryland because of five states and the District of Columbia, then there should be no problem with extending full “faith and credit” to the 39 states with “shall-issue” laws, the states that believe the criminals and the government shouldn’t be the only ones who have guns.

Note to gun control activists (and everyone else): it’s the bus you don’t see that kills you. Oh, and FYI: this is the same Gansler who headed up the legal team assigned to the infamous sniper case.