U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts has come out swinging in support of Constitutional carry in the Cornhusker State, a goal he calls “unfinished business” in a weekly column released May 3 in which he reaffirmed his commitment to Second Amendment rights in general and permitless carry specifically.
An effort to pass Constitutional carry this year fell just nine votes short, and in his column, Gov. Ricketts pointed the finger of blame, noting, “The final vote that failed to advance the bill was 31-9. All nine opponents were Democrats.”
Ricketts is term-limited out, according to his communications director, Alex Reuss. Ammoland News caught up with her via telephone, and she said Ricketts was disappointed. That much shows in his 840-word column, in which the governor stressed:
“At the end of the day, constitutional carry is about rights. A citizen authorized by law to possess a firearm shouldn’t have to pay a fee and ask permission from the government to exercise their Second Amendment rights.”
Ricketts didn’t stop there. He took a swipe at opponents of permitless carry.
“The typical arguments against constitutional carry simply don’t hold water,” he wrote. “For example, concealed carry laws don’t decrease safety. The U.S. News and World Report has published public safety rankings for each state based on the FBI’s latest available data. The top three states for public safety are Maine, New Hampshire, and Idaho. All three are constitutional carry states.”
Ricketts credited State Sen. Tom Brewer (R-43rd District) for introducing LB 773 “in an effort to bring constitutional carry to Nebraska.”
“A solid majority of senators supported the bill,” Ricketts noted in his column, “but it fell just two votes short of the 33 needed to overcome a filibuster.”
The fact Democrats stood in the way underscores the fact that Democrats have become not just the party of gun control, but the party of gun prohibition. Last year, when anti-gun Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-7th District) joined Democrat Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy of Connecticut to introduce the so-called “Safe Gun Storage Act,” a news release revealed every co-sponsor to be from the same party. They included:
U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Jahanna Hayes (D-CT), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-NY), in the House.
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tom Carper (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Patty Murray (D-WA), in the Senate.
The lineup is a Who’s Who of Capitol Hill anti-gunners.
Back in Nebraska, Gov. Ricketts’ column could give grist to other officials, in other states, where permitless carry may become an issue.
“Furthermore,” Ricketts observes, “constitutional carry legislation doesn’t mean abandoning common sense restrictions that prevent dangerous criminals from carrying guns. The legislation only seeks to eliminate regulations that require a law-abiding citizen to carry a permit while carrying their concealed firearm.”
Nebraska has what many consider a “common sense” approach to reciprocity, as well. According to Handgunlaw.us, “A valid license or permit to carry a concealed handgun issued by any other state or the District of Columbia shall be recognized as valid in this state under the Concealed Handgun Permit Act if (1) the holder of the license or permit is not a resident of Nebraska and (2) the Attorney General has determined that the standards for issuance of such license or permit by such state or the District of Columbia are equal to or greater than the standards imposed by the act.”
Currently, according to the site, Nebraska honors carry licenses and permits from 35 states.
“While we work on constitutional carry legislation in Nebraska,” Ricketts stated, “we also need to be forward thinking. To preserve our right to bear arms, we must individually pass on our love for and understanding of the Second Amendment to the next generation.”
Ricketts will not be in office to see whether Nebraska lawmakers can overcome the opposition to Constitutional carry. His successor will emerge from the May 10 gubernatorial primary in which there are several Republican hopefuls and two Democrats.
The three leading GOP candidates are, according to Ballotpedia, Charles Herbster, Brett Lindstrom, and Jim Pillen, who currently “lead in endorsements, funding, and media attention.”
Herbster chaired former President Donald Trump’s (R) Agriculture and Rural Advisory Committee, and he was endorsed by Trump last October.
Lindstrom presently serves in the Nebraska State Senate and he has been endorsed by Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and the Nebraska State Education Association, Ballotpedia said.
Pillen is a veterinarian, a member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, and the owner of Pillen Family Farms. He has been endorsed by Ricketts, setting up an interesting battle.
Fox News reported that Trump is basking in the spotlight because “nearly two dozen candidates he endorsed who won their primary races in Ohio and Indiana Tuesday night.”
Democrats in the primary are Carol Blood, who also serves in the State Senate and operates Blood Business Consulting and is CEO of the La Vista Chamber of Commerce.
Harris does not list anything about himself other than his residence in Linwood, NE.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
