In a previous installment I showed you a story from Texas which showed how concealed carry licenses were more common in whiter, richer areas in Houston than they were in poorer and less white areas. This is a common story. When you make a right contingent on having money, only the relatively well off will exercise that right. Poor people don’t have the money to fly to Paris, their right to do so is irrelevant.
It is a well established principle that the government is bound to accept your right of free speech, but the government is not required to pay you so that you can do it. You can print whatever newspaper you like, but We The People are not required to give you money to buy paper and ink. The same thing goes for the Second Amendment. If you want to keep and bear arms, go buy the gun yourself. The US Treasury isn’t going to cut you a check to cover your new Glock. The issue comes when the Government requires you to pay a fee in order to exercise your rights. If the Government required you to have a permit, even if it cost one dollar, in order to run a newspaper, the ACLU would go ballistic. Why then is it legal to require a person to pay the government for a permission slip to buy and carry a gun.
What is the true cost of concealed carry? I thought I would add up the costs to see. Remember the guy a few days ago who said “I don't have strong feelings about concealed/open carry, one way or the other. As long as those doing the carrying have passed a solid background check, took a good course & keep their hand in with their chosen weapon”? Let’s take that as our model and see.
Here’s how it breaks down.
1. Gun. Pretty self explanatory Average cost for a standard Glock, the most common gun around is about $500
2. Permit to buy. In NC, you have to go to the Sheriff during normal business hours, and pay $5
3. Concealed Carry Class. $60-120 depending where you go.
4. Range membership. Gotta "keep your hand in." If you practice 2 times a month it makes sense to pay the membership and get free range time. $225 per year
5. Ammo. 50 rounds, $12, x 2 per month or 24 a year, $288
6. Holster. You can go cheap and get a nice Kydex IWB for $35 all the way to a Mitch Rosen ARG for $150. (people who love me could buy me that one, hint hint)
8. A solid training class. Let’s assume that Brent will accept a one day, 8 hour class. The class I took (not because I had to, but because I wanted to) was $210, plus you had to bring 500 rounds of ammo. For $340, they’ll sell you the ammo and let you use one of their guns. A great idea if you haven’t already bought a gun and want to learn right straight from the start. I totally recommend these guys. Note I said recommend, not legally mandate.
9. NC Concealed Handgun Permit $80, plus a trip to the Sheriff again during normal business hours
10. Fingerprints. Like a common criminal. Plus they make you pay for it. $10
11. Belt. A good gun in a decent holster on a crappy belt is a recipe for a bad time. Buy a decent belt, $80. I personally have this 1 ¾” in Horsehide, $120
If we add that up it comes to between $1648 and $1933.
You could cut some corners by buying ammo in bulk. You could go to the store and buy the gun, belt, mag carrier, holster, and a box of ammo for $652. Everything else is state mandated (or Brent mandated) extra. The costs above gun, belt, holster, and mag carrier are a minimum of $1000. You could further economize by buying a cheaper revolver or a used police gun. But you can’t get around the extra costs mandated by the state.
Why do you suppose that these costs exist? It’s to keep the poor people from exercising their rights. In many cases, poor equals non-white. If you can’t ban something, you can at least make it too expensive for the “wrong” people to do it. And that’s the point.
"The US Treasury isn’t going to cut you a check to cover your new Glock." Funny how that Right isn't covered...but people who say "Healthcare is a Right" think big Daddy .Gov needs to pick up the tab for everything soup-to-nuts!
ReplyDeleteGreat breakdown. I figured I paid almost $2000 for my First handgun (and at that point I was restricted from carry!) with permits, and range fees and ammo, cleaning kits, safety supplies (For $10 I bought a bottle of foam ear-plugs that probably would last me a year if I didn't have reusable plugs...but my wife and many people I take shooting are noise sensitive and prefer to use both plugs and earmuffs. A good set that doesn't have the noise cancelling so you can hear your buddy talking in a quiet voice, but won't hear the loud reports cost me about $30)
Oh also note that those who are bothered by a several hundred dollars in permitting fees and range costs might have some trouble buying bulk ammo. All-and-all I probably spend a good 10-30% less than the average person who buys their ammo at wall-mart, but I've been known to drop $1000 on a large bulk buy of ammo components for hand-loading in a sitting. Of course that $1000 may last me a year or more, its still a good piece of scratch when you first make the buy!
I thought about reloading/bulk ammo purchases, but I thought that would make the post too complicated. I am also sure that the average new gun owner won't buy in bulk. It usually takes a few times to convince people that buying a case of ammo to set in the closet makes much more sense than buying your fun 50 rounds at a time.
ReplyDeleteA Dillon 650 certainly makes things cheaper though.
I'll add another state to your cost list.
ReplyDeleteActual governmental financial costs
$8 --- 2 photographs passport style
$10 -- 2 fingerprint cards taken at law enforcement or approved agency
$5 -- proficiency test fee
$140 -- for the license. Half that cost if you are a veteran or at/below poverty level.
$75-$200 required 10 hour class
Minimum you can get a license for $168.
Other costs as you mentioned.
Firearm - in my case a Taurus Mil-Pro PT145 -#345 (including tax --another governmental fee)
Single box of ammo to qualify -- $30 (got my license in the midst of the ammo shortage).
Holster -- $75 (CrossBreed SuperTuck - highly recommended).
Range membership -- $400 for the first year, $75 a year after that)
Even if you don't practice (not recommended) we are looking at a 40 to 60% fee to exercise a right.
The true costs however are the robberies, rapes and murders that are committed against people who can't afford to exercise their right
I really wish I had gone with a 650 when I started bulk reloading. that is a SLICK press!
ReplyDeleteRandom thought just occurred to me: criminals are photographed, finger printed, and background checked when arrested.
ReplyDeleteDo you think they pay for those activities?
I am sure that they don't. That's why I wrote it the way I did. Doesn't it really add insult to injury? Kind of like billing your family for the cost of the bullet used to execute you.
ReplyDeleteLinoge, as a person who did have a warrant for his arrest ( turned out to be a clerical error, I've written about and talked about it on various media) Nope was only charged for having the bail bondsman vouch for me.
ReplyDeleteIf I had elected to spend the night in the clink I wouldn't have been charged for shit. And I was printed and photographed.
Dare anyone to suggest we need to have voters pay for their identification (fingerprints, background check, photos) and require them to present that on the exercise of their right to vote.
ReplyDelete