Times Have Changed, Part Whatever

by Joel Rosenberg
19-May-2007

Times Have Changed, Part Whatever

We're about to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act — it went into effect on May 28 of 2003.  In four years, just over 44,000 carry permits have been issued — about 1% of the total population of the state — and with permits from fifteen other states now accepted in Minnesota, somewhere around a million people can carry handguns in most public and private places in Minnesota.  Unsurprisingly, as predicted, the sky didn't fall.  There have been a few — a very few — isolated instances of misbehavior by permit holders; by far the most dramatic and horrible was when a fellow was kicked out of a restaurant bar, went home, and got his gun, and murdered the bouncer, Big Billy Walsh.  As it turned out, the murderer, Zachary Ourada, was a permit holder . . . but, obviously, his permit didn't have any relevance to that.

Part of what hasn't happened wasn't surprising; all the loud worries by the usual suspects about bar fights and fender-benders turning into shootouts, about disgruntled permit holders blasting away at people who cut them off on the highway or taking parking spaces, well, it didn't happen. 

It's the little things that are surprising... but, being little things, just a little.  Just the other day, Bruce Krafft — who is more of a devotee of open carry than many people, including me, think is particularly wise — had yet another of his, err, moments of unusual interest . . . but the upshot (so to speak) wasn't terribly dramatic:  the manager and employees of the store ended up getting some instruction from their local chief of police about the carry law, and one of the TCCarry activists went in and had a very pleasant chat with him about the issues, and about signage.  Not a lot of drama; no big deal. 

But I think the most indicative thing about how far we've come in four years happened last October, at the University of Minnesota. Andrew Rothman, one of the local activists and trainers, debated Heather Martens of the (now-formerly) Joyce Foundation-funded "Citizens for a 'Safer' Minnesota." The subject of the debate was whether or not the University should change its policy that forbids students and employees with carry permits from carrying on campus.  (Interestingly, the U neither can nor does prohibit visitors with permits from carrying; the law doesn't allow them to.)  Now, Heather — as devoted an antigun activist as the other side has left — knew that she was going to a public debate, at which there would be quite a few permit holders attending, many of them routinely carrying. 

But she went anyway.  I guess it could be argued — save for one thing -- that she felt that her activism was important enough to take the risk of being in a room with dozens of people carrying, as they say, "loaded, concealed handguns", which the CSM folks have assured us is a very dangerous thing to do.  I guess it could be argued that she should be commended for her bravery, to take those risks to debate awkwardly (and it was awkward; Heather doesn't do all that well in an interactive forum) against the commonsense notion that somebody who is licensed to carry a handgun in public can do so properly at the U if they're a student or staff member, rather than just a visitor.

I guess she could congratulate herself on that courage, taking those risks.  Except for the one thing that makes it clear that even Heather doesn't think there really were any risks in arguing with and among dozens of armed permit holders . . . one thing that makes it clear that even Heather knows that being around armed permit holders isn't risky at all:

. . . she brought not only her husband, but her three-year-old daughter.  Cute kid. 

I'm certainly critical of Heather, but she's not an irresponsible mother — if she really believed that there was any danger from the permit holders, she would, of course, have left the child at home.

We've come a long way, when even Heather gets it. 

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