Unfortunately, we have allowed several precedents to be established. First we allowed cities to establish "no carry" laws within their limits, for the protection of its citizens. It made sense 100-130 years ago when we had wide open towns at the end of cattle drives, men who hadnt seen a town (or a bottle) in months, with loads of money. Lots of whiskey and beer + loaded guns + locals trying to keep their property in one piece = a tragedy waiting to happen.
Then folks figured, if it works there, why it ought to follow that if we just make folks stop carrying guns altogether, it would do away with that pesky violence. Right? Yeah. That has been borne out SO well huh? But problem is, we allowed it, so it got even harder to reverse. Before long, carrying a gun was seen as a privilege, like driving, and not a right. Maybeso, in a totally civilized world. Course, Man has proven himself at least partially immune to being civilized. Still, it follows that if carryin a gun is a privilege, it should be allowed if licensed, right? So now we have states that will allow you to carry a gun if you jump through the right hoops and get a license. It allows the politicians who believe in the 2nd amendment to pat themselves on the back and say they did their part while not having to actually stand up to our loss of rights and be voted out of office by those who dont like guns.
As an extrapolation of the idea that a state can license folks to carry a gun, you have two different paths of reasoning on how to decide to issue a permit or license. SHALL ISSUE states beleive that so long as you pass the background checks and have a clean criminal record, and you wish to have such a permit or license, you should be granted one. A MAY ISSUE state beleives that even if you pass the background checks with a clean criminal record, and even if you pass a course that proves you know how to handle and safely fire such a weapon, and even if you can provide proof you have carried one without mishap in another state, it is up to whoever is in charge of issuing the licenses to decide if you deserve one or not. This allows the state full control over who gets one and who doesnt. I think there is a rumor that since the law was passed, ONE person has been issued a permit to carry in Hawaii, and he was a former police officer. There is no official record of this however, so it remains a rumor. There has never been a verified case of a permit being issued.
Its like the old saying goes that begins.......
When they came to take the Jews, I wasnt Jewish, so I didnt protest.
And so it goes.
