[Nfbwv-talk] Fwd: [Nfb-legislative-directors] Gun Rights for the Blind

[Sheri Koch]

Just sharing in the event you might be interested in this topic. 

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Justin Salisbury via Nfb-legislative-directors <nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org>
> Date: July 25, 2015 at 4:38:16 PM EDT
> To: NFB Legislative Directors List <nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu>, "vishal14 at snet.net" <vishal14 at snet.net>
> Subject: [Nfb-legislative-directors] Gun Rights for the Blind
> Reply-To: NFB Legislative Directors List <nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org>
> 
> Dear Colleagues,
>  
> A blind man in Connecticut recently reached out to me to ask whether he would be denied second amendment rights (to bear arms) based on blindness.
>  
> I went back to a Braille Monitor article from January 2014 by Greg Trapp, which does a great job of explaining the debate. You can read it here if you’d like:
> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm14/bm1401/bm140116.htm
>  
> Understanding the philosophy and the arguments to make are only one part of the process, though. Another side that we cannot neglect is learning how to make sure they count. I recall that our Iowa affiliate recently undertook the advocacy to ensure that blind people could get concealed carry permits, and I know that I’ve read some good pieces by Michael Barber on the topic. 
>  
> I have learned from our work on other state-by-state bills, particularly those involving termination of parental rights, that it is possible for state codes to do one of two things that can lead to discrimination. First, they can explicitly say that a disability is grounds enough to discriminate against someone. Second, they can avoid mentioning disability but delegate the gatekeeping judgment to an identified authority, which can lead to that authority deciding to discriminate against the blind person. Can anyone tell me: is there a general trend toward one or the other in gun rights laws in the many states in our country?
>  
> I’m still learning how to research state statutes, so, if anyone has any tips to make me more effective, please do share. I am hoping that this discussion will be useful for every affiliate with many state-level bills.
>  
> In Connecticut, physical disability is not explicitly provided as a disqualifier, but the phrase “suitable person” comes up a lot. I read through the gun permit application, and it does not ask for anything that would identify a person as blind. The application does ask you to prove that you attach a letter attesting to your completion of a gun safety course, so, as long as we are allowed to do that, there does not appear to be a codified barrier.
>  
> We all know that the assumed incompetence of a blind person can be pulled in as a wild card from time to time, resulting in us being denied access to the same programs which our sighted counterparts enjoy. Do people here think there is value to pursuing legislation to explicitly state that physical disability cannot be used as grounds for denial of a gun permit?
>  
> For the meantime, I have advised my friend to go ahead and pursue the concealed carry permit he wants. We’ll see what happens.
>  
> Thanks for any contributions that you may have.
>  
> Yours,
>  
> Justin Salisbury
>  
> Justin Salisbury - Running Thunder Phoenix
> Graduate Student
> Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness
> Louisiana Tech University
> Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu
> Twitter: @SalisburyJustin
>  
> First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
> Because I was not a Socialist.
>  
> Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
> Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
>  
> Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—  
> Because I was not a Jew.
>  
> Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
>  
> Martin Niemöller
>  
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