Open Letter to Scott Brown.

Dear Senator Brown,

Recent statements made by you to local media outlets, and in your letter to Mayor Menino of Boston, indicate that you are in opposition to HR822 and will not vote in favor of this legislation. Your reasoning for this, in your own words, is:

Under the proposed House legislation, a national concealed carry reciprocity amendment would obligate states like Massachusetts to recognize that concealed carry permits of other states, even if the bearer of that permit does not meet the requirements established by Massachusetts to receive such a concealed carry permit. I believe that the people of Massachusetts are best positioned to decide what is best for Massachusetts. Therefore, if H.R. 822 or similar legislation comes before the Senate, I will vote no.

Are you aware, Senator Brown, that Massachusetts is one of the only states that requires its citizens to have a permit simply to own a firearm, let alone carry one concealed? Are you also aware that - in clear contradiction to the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights - that the ability to simply own a handgun in Massachusetts is what is known as "May Issue"? It is completely at the discretion of the local licensing authority whether a citizen of Massachusetts may even own a handgun. For any reason that local licensing authority sees fit, a Massachusetts resident may be denied their Constitutionally enumerated right to keep and bear arms.

I submit, Senator Brown, that using "what is best for Massachusetts" is the wrong criteria for deciding on Second Amendment issues. Massachusetts is in the clear minority of states that issues concealed carry permits on a "may issue" basis - meaning that the right to bear arms can be denied capriciously and arbitrarily according to the local licensing authority. Currently 41 states - far beyond a supermajority - are "shall issue" with regards to carry permits, meaning that as long as an applicant meets the requirements of the state, they will be granted a permit to carry a concealed firearm. Four states do not require a permit to carry a concealed firearm - three more than ban concealed carry completely.

Massachusetts is in a clear minority of states that deem its citizens unworthy of exercising their enumerated rights without undue and onerous regulation. The local licensing authorities have sole control over whether a Massachusetts resident receive their permission slip to merely own, let alone carry, a firearm. Applying this standard to the vast majority of states that do not require this unconstitutional measure - and refusing to allow a measure already in place with regards to the licenses required to operate an automobile - places the unreasonable burdens of Massachusetts gun ownership upon the remainder of the country.

You were elected as the junior senator from Massachusetts to fill the seat formerly occupied by Edward Kennedy in part because you represented a change from the status quo. Your opponent did not feel she needed to mount a serious campaign against you, figuring that her political affiliation alone would be sufficient to win her the seat. You fought a serious, dedicated uphill battle to win that seat, sponsored in no small part by the freedom loving residents of Massachusetts who support the right to keep and bear arms.

With your refusal to support HR 822, those of us who believe in the Constitution of the United States will have yet another reason to stay home come November 6th, 2012. Please don't alienate a motivated, politically-savvy voting bloc that would otherwise vote for you over Elizabeth Warren in, excuse the saying, a New York minute. I urge you to reconsider your opposition to HR 822, and instead consider supporting this measure in the interest of promoting freedom.

Don't make the mistake of using Massachusetts as a model for anything related to Second Amendment rights - or anything even remotely resembling personal freedom.

That is all.