By Sam Hoober, Alien Gear Holsters

Despite stereotypes that are perpetuated in some parts of the media, the fact is that our Second Amendment rights are for everyone. That includes concealing and carry a pistol, whether in a concealed carry holster or what have you, as well. Despite the conventional thinking being that guns are the province of mostly white males, it’s been well-documented that other demographics are pursuing licenses and getting the requisite gear to start packing a pistol.

More women getting into concealed carry has been a topic for years. Not too long ago, a group called Pink Pistols emerged, advocating that members of the LGBT community get their licenses, take training, and start carrying a pistol for their own protection.

If you look into the history of gun control and specifically anti-carry laws, you’ll find many were intended to prevent African Americans from carrying. Americans of African descent were barred from the full exercising of their rights by the white establishment, in fear they would defend themselves against the marginalization and brutal treatment that they endured for centuries.

While gun control advocates insist that they are working for the greater good, the effect is almost always to the detriment of people that need protection.

In fact, carry rights are egalitarian legislation, as they give anyone the ability to carry for their own protection so long as they are not barred the possession of arms. Remember that old saw about how “God made men, but Sam Colt made them equal?” An armed populace does put people on a certain equal footing as some liberties cannot be taken with an armed person.

Restrictive carry laws have the effect of restricting carry to those that the political establishment deem fit to carry. Typically, it ends up being only the wealthy and politically connected that are able to get carry permits, as has long been the case in New York City, New Jersey, Maryland and certain jurisdictions in California. The average citizen there is barred from their right to self-protection under the Constitution because they are, in the eyes of the law of those states, a lesser class of person.

So when someone like Harvey Weinstein says he wants to fight the NRA, it’s actually in his personal interest to do so. If one of his victims had responded to his assaults with a loaded gun – and sexual assault is a justification for self-defense – it’s possible his abuse of women would have been halted much sooner. Because he split his time between New York and California, his victims were barred from being able to carry because of those states governments being inimical to the right of the average citizen to carry and bear. He could only get away with that kind of behavior in that kind of environment.

Say what you want about Hawaii’s carry laws; they at least have a certain draconian consistency. You can’t say they discriminate on the basis of class, race, color, creed, gender or any other criteria; no one gets a permit.

A lot of people these days are calling for greater equality, in one form or another. A cornerstone of equality should be the right of anyone to carry and bear arms if not otherwise barred from possession. This right was laid down in the Constitution both for the purpose of the common defense but also to give the common people the means to defend themselves. If a more equal society is desired, being armed puts everyone on an equal footing in terms of personal security. No one should be less equal than anyone else when it comes to safeguarding their own lives.

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Sam Hoober is Contributing Editor for AlienGearHolsters.com, a subsidiary of Hayden, ID, based Tedder Industries, where he writes about gun accessories, gun safety, open and concealed carry tips. Click here to visit aliengearholsters.com.