Jack Hunter
On Thursday, as a response to the tragic shooting of Republican Rep. Steve Scalise and four others, Rep. Thomas Massie called for carry-conceal to be allowed in Washington, DC.
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“Today, Congressman Thomas Massie, Chairman of the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus, introduced H.R 2909, the D.C Personal Protection Reciprocity Act,” read a Massie press release. “This legislation would allow individuals with a valid concealed carry permit issued from their home state to carry their firearms in the District of Columbia.”
RELATED: Rep. Thomas Massie wants to get rid of gun-free school zones
Washington, D.C. has long had strict gun control laws and does not currently allow carry-conceal. Though the shooting occurred in Alexandria, Va., Massie noted in his release that the members and their staffs traveled from Capitol Hill for the baseball practice and back to D.C. afterward.
“After the horrific shooting at the Republican Congressional Baseball practice, there will likely be calls for special privileges to protect politicians,” Massie said in his press release. “Our reaction should instead be to protect the right of all citizens guaranteed in the Constitution: the right to self-defense.”
“I do not want to extend a special privilege to politicians, because the right to keep and bear arms is not a privilege, it is a God-given right protected by our Constitution,” Massie added.
Wednesday’s shooting has reignited the gun debate, as these tragedies usually do, with many calling for increased gun restrictions.
Massie takes the opposite approach.
“If not for the heroic efforts of the United States Capitol Police at the ball field yesterday, things could have been much worse,” he said.
“What’s always evident in these situations is this: the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” he declared.
This is not an unusual position for the congressman. In December, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky relaunched the Second Amendment Caucus. In January, he called for the elimination of gun-free school zones with his “Safe Students Act.”
Massie’s fellow Kentuckian and libertarian Republican ally Rand Paul was present during the shooting but was unharmed. Like Massie, Paul is also a staunch Second Amendment advocate.
23 Republicans co-sponsored Massie’s original bill.
Massie told pro-gun site GunsAmerica.com in December, “I’ve held concealed carry permits in New Hampshire and Kentucky, and I would dearly like to see the day when any U.S. citizen can carry in every state.”
Rep. Massie let everyone know that he and Sen. Paul were safe after the shooting on Wednesday morning.
