Gary Brown, a Texas trucker, was on a cross-country trip shipping everyday goods. In the cab of his truck he had several firearms which are perfectly legal in Brown’s home state of Texas, but unbeknownst to him, his firearms were now illegal.
The Texas trucker was arrested and charged for carrying firearms in his vehicle while in Michigan. The gun laws between the two states are different and because of that, Brown had his firearms and ammunition seized, will be forced to pay a hefty bill including court fees and a fine.
From CDL Life:
“I didn’t realize I was breaking any laws here,” Brown said, “so I was surprised when I got pulled over and arrested.”
Despite the reduced charges, Brown was still ordered to pay $325 in fines, costs, and other court fees as well as the forfeiture of his weapons and ammunition, worth about $4,000, by Judge Susan K. Sniegowski, a ruling Brown’s attorney did not agree with.
“This man lives and makes his living in his truck,” said Brown’s attorney, James Makowski. “Everything he owns is in that truck. He needs something to defend himself.”
“I don’t know whether you are aware of it or not, but during the last 18 months or so, with all of the unrest in the country, there have been at least 30 truckers killed,” he continued. “You can understand why he wants something to defend himself with.”
Gary Brown has every reason to carry his firearms while trucking, crime is rising and naturally a truck full of goods is a ripe target. The fact that Brown’s work requires him to travel from state to state means puts him in a unique position to be punished by the fact that states have different gun laws.
National Carry Reciprocity laws would have prevented this, the measure would ensure people like Gary, who committed no misdeeds and intended to hurt no one, are protected from the fact that different states have different laws.
It’s easy for some New York Socialist or California hipster to say “simply don’t go to those states” but people like Gary ensure that the goods people use every day and rely on make it to local stores. For many people like Gary traveling to different states is a necessity and it’s simply a part of the job.
Democrats have the power to change this right now, earlier this year Republican Rep. Richard Hudson reintroduced legislation for national concealed carry reciprocity. However, instead of taking common-sense action Democrats heard the word “gun” and associated it with violence and misconstrued the legislation so it wouldn’t make it out of Congress and help everyday Americans.
