In the battle for gun rights being fought in conservative led state legislatures, one very visible group has taken a suprising stance–law enforcement. As states like Texas, Mississippi and others, make strides toward greater accessibility for guns, they also find themselves creating distance between themselves and police departments, former allies.
In recent years, state representatives and senators have pushed harder for relaxed gun laws, almost always with the backing of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Police officers have become increasingly vocal about their dislike of the new gun policies. They have argued it makes it much harder to do their job and exposes officers to greater danger.
Last year, the Dallas Morning News reported on a survey conducted by the Texas Police Chiefs Association which found that 75% of it’s respondents were opposed to the open carry bills that eventually became law.
For states that are pushing for removing virtually all restrictions, the concern for law enforcement is even greater. In West Virginia, where the legislators overturned the governor’s veto, and Idaho, you don’t need a permit or even training. These states, and six others, are considered “constitutional carry” states, and taken to the extremes of the law, can even limit whether or not law enforcement can even ask about the gun.
There are some conservative leaders who are bucking their party to enforce some limits. This week, Georgia governor, Nathan Deal, vetoed a proposal to allow campus carry. In a statement, Deal said:
“From the early days of our nation and state, colleges have been treated as sanctuaries of learning where firearms have not been allowed. To depart from such time-honored protections should require overwhelming justification.”
All 29 public college and university police chiefs in Georgia opposed the measure.
Shortly after the veto was announced, the NRA issued a statement of its own.
“The NRA is thankful to Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and the legislators who worked to protect law-abiding citizens’ constitutional right to self-defense on campus and we look forward to working with them next session to pass this important safety legislation,” Mortensen said.
This fight is far from over.
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Featured image by by Paretz Partensky, Flickr Creative Commons License 2.0
