Indianapolis Indiana

                          Criminal                                            Non-Criminal

                                    Homicides                                        Homicides   

2021                          249                                                     22      

July 1 2022, Constitutional Carry went into effect

2022                          211                                                     15      

2023                          171                                                     45      

Could be a coincidence (or not a coincidence) that Criminal Homicides went down when people were better able to defend themselves WITH GUNS.

I’m betting on ‘or not a coincidence.’

Pennsylvania

Note: In 2021, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed Constitutional Carry but Governor Tom Wolfe vetoed it.

There are other issues in Pennsylvania which may eventually leak over its northern border into NY.

A Pennsylvania law bans 18 to 20-year-old citizens from openly carrying firearms. The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) claimed that the law violates the U S Constitution because it disarms part of “the people.”

In October 2020, the lawsuit, Lara v. Paris, originally filed. At the time, states could rely on the concept of ‘interest balancing’ to defend their laws.

As you probably know, these trials take forever to go through the trial and the appeals process.

In 2022, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Bruen. Pennsylvania could no longer use ‘interest balancing’ to defend its law against constitutional scrutiny. The court could only use the original text, tradition, and history of the Second Amendment.

In January 2024, the Third Circuit found Pennsylvania’s law unconstitutional.

In March 2024, an appeal to the 3rd Circuit was denied.

In April 2024, Pennsylvania was enjoined from enforcing the law.

Pennsylvania appealed to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS)

On October 15th, SCOTUS vacated the lower court’s decision, and remanded the case back to the Third Circuit for “consideration in light of United States v. Rahimi.” This means the law is still alive, for now.

Rahimi said that a citizen could be temporarily disarmed if they posed a threat to public safety.

Do 18 to 20-year-olds, as a group - and not as individuals - pose an unusually high risk to public safety? 

Applying laws to a group instead of an individual is a very risky limb to crawl out on.  However, accusing groups is currently in vogue: white men are accused of being racist just because they are white; MAGA, as a group, are accused of being fascist.   

Pennsylvania will probably argue that the human brain isn’t fully developed until age 25, which leads to bad judgement and risky behavior.  But that argument opens the door to a host of related issues involving age restrictions that few would want to get into.    

Street Takeovers

Street takeovers by protestors / criminals / thugs are in vogue.  Streets are completely shut down, motorists are accosted and police are generally overwhelmed and helpless.

Ammoland warns: “When stalled by a violent riot, stationary vehicles are death traps…your only safety lies in motion! So long as you’re moving, escape from criminal violence is possible.”

Ammoland did not mention another possible action; be carrying.

Should Trump win the election, it will serve as an excuse for these “mostly peaceful takeovers” to increase in numbers.  You have been warned!

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