PURE GUN FREEDOM FOR WYOMING

WYOMING DEFENSIVE GUN FREEDOM

CHEYENNE --
Despite opposition from some police organizations,
a Wyoming Senate committee on Tuesday recommended approval of a bill
that would place the state among just a few others nationwide
that allow people to carry concealed handguns without a license.

The shooting spree in Tucson, Ariz., earlier this month
has reignited the national debate about gun control.
A gunman killed six people and wounded
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others.

At the Wyoming committee hearing, however, one
lobbyist said the Tucson shootings point out the benefits
of having more responsible citizens carry guns.
Matthew J. Huntington, a Cheyenne-based "freedom lobbyist,"
told the committee that an armed citizen was at
the scene in Tucson and ready to shoot to stop the violence.
The gunman responsible for the shooting was
tackled before the armed citizen could act.

"If that tackling didn't happen, and the shooter
loaded that second magazine and continued,
that gentleman who was legally carrying would
have been able to stop the threat at that point in time,"
Huntington said. "The overall point is that when
you make it easier for legally armed citizens to
carry guns, you make it harder for bad guys to
commit violent crime."

Arizona, Vermont and Alaska already don't require
citizens to have licenses to carry concealed weapons.

Wyoming already has a concealed-carry license
system for handguns which requires people to
complete training and background checks.
That program would remain in effect because such
licenses allow Wyoming residents to carry
concealed guns in some other states that have
reciprocal agreements.

"All we're really doing with this bill, if you meet
most of the conditions of a license to carry,
you meet the conditions for a non-license carry,"
sponsor Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper, said.

Casper Police Chief Tom Pagel told the committee
that any change to the state's existing concealed
carry system demands careful consideration.

Pagel said more than 21,000 people in Wyoming
already have state concealed-carry licenses.
He said only 1 or 2 percent of applications result in denials.

"Where I see the potential risk to this is citizen to citizen,"
Pagel said. "Something that might be a fight will
end up with gunplay."

Sen. John Hines, R-Gillette, cast the lone vote against the bill.
"One of my concerns is the lack of knowledge of
many people who aren't familiar with firearms," he said.


[All emfasis has been rendered by David.]