U.S. Concealed Carry Association President and Founder Tim Schmidt went live on One America News Network (OANN) to respond to President Biden’s planned use of executive power to enforce six gun control measures to end the gun violence “epidemic.” Pointing to the record national gun sales over the last year and the surge in demand among Americans of all backgrounds for firearms education and training, Schmidt says that Biden should be focused on supporting and protecting responsible, law-abiding Americans, not stripping away their Second Amendment rights and disarming them, essentially leaving them defenseless. Likewise, Schmidt explained that none of the schemes Biden mentioned will have an impact on violence in the U.S.
“Organizations like the U.S. Concealed Carry Association exist to help responsible Americans avoid danger, save lives and keep their families safe, and our elected leaders in Washington have an incredible obligation to pursue those same goals,” Schmidt stated in response to Biden’s announcement. “That is why it’s deeply troubling to see the president and others in Washington calling for more failed laws and regulations. We need common-sense reforms, like national concealed carry reciprocity, that are grounded in reality rather than anti-gun political ideology. [We need] a new path, with the goal of keeping Americans safe by ensuring they can protect their families and loved ones at all times. Today’s announcement falls woefully short of meeting that goal.”
National Reciprocity, Not More Gun Control
On behalf of its more than 570,000 members, two months ago, Schmidt sent a letter and released a video message to President Biden pointing out that in the past year, nearly 5 million new gun owners have joined the more than 100 million Americans who already own guns. Record numbers of Americans have been purchasing firearms to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. The number of gun owners seeking self-defense education and training is at an all-time high. Women and minorities are now leading the way as the fastest-growing groups of concealed carry permit holders in the country as well as in membership at the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.
Schmidt has been outspoken in his support for national concealed carry reciprocity so that responsible citizens can exercise their right to self-defense while traveling or temporarily living away from home. This is especially important at a time when more Americans are opting out of air travel and choosing to drive long distances, often across multiple states, with their children and other loved ones.
The U.S. Concealed Carry Association has quickly gathered more than 200,000 petition signatures from Americans in support of national concealed carry reciprocity. HR 38 (The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2021) would allow law-abiding Americans to protect themselves and their families at all times by ensuring that a concealed carry permit in one state is recognized in other states that allow residents to carry.
Executive Orders Are a Smoke Screen
In response to the recent shootings in Colorado, Georgia and South Carolina, Biden is playing off public sentiment to move forward with these drastic measures. It is worth noting that two anti-gun bills that would expand background checks were recently passed in the House but stalled in the Senate. This is likely the opportunity the president needed to break the political stalemate and to move ahead with measures backed by gun control advocates.
These new gun control measures would virtually do nothing to reduce crime or help more Americans keep their families safe. “Every time there is a shooting, we play this ridiculous theater, where this committee gets together and proposes a bunch of laws that would do nothing to stop these murders,” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz stated during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence. He continued: “What happens in this committee is that, after every mass shooting, Democrats propose taking away guns from law-abiding citizens, because that is their political objective. But what they propose, not only does it not reduce crimes, but it makes it worse.” Well said, Sen. Cruz.
So, let’s pump the breaks and consider the reasons for and consequences of President Biden’s planned executive orders. And let’s focus on how we can really stop mass shootings rather than simply advancing a political agenda and robbing gun owners of their natural-born right to self-defense.
You can view Schmidt’s entire interview here.
