If we're going to keep our Second Amendment rights secure, it's critically important that we as gun owners aren't just talking to ourselves but are also offering cogent arguments and explanations to non-Second Amendment supporters about why the right to keep and bear arms is so important. 

Pennsylvania firearms instructor Nayara Andrejczyk has done just that in an op-ed at PennLive.com, where she delivers a sensible take on the importance of being able to exercise our Second Amendment rights across state lines. 

Eleven years ago, I was a stay-at-home mom living in the outskirts of Philadelphia. My two young children utterly depended upon me because their father, who was working full time while getting his master’s degree, was rarely home. I knew that if something were to happen, I was the first responder in our home and I would need to protect myself and my children. That’s when I decided to get my concealed carry permit. 

Many states don’t require a special permit to carry a concealed firearm, but Pennsylvania, 20 other states, and the District of Columbia do. The requirements to apply for a permit vary from state to state, sometimes widely. What is problematic is that some states, like New Jersey, do not recognize concealed carry permits issued by other states, including its neighbors.

To put it plainly, I can lawfully carry a concealed handgun for self-defense anywhere in Pennsylvania, but if I make a wrong turn and innocently end up in New Jersey – as many have done – I could be facing felony charges and a substantial mandatory prison sentence.

I travel once or twice a month to Massachusetts to visit family or to help a pro-Second Amendment group (Gun Owners’ Action League) with events. Because New Jersey and surrounding states (New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island) do not have reciprocity and, therefore, don’t recognize my Pennsylvania permit, my ability to defend myself is limited every time I leave the state.

When I leave my home state, my gun and magazine must be locked up separately in different locations in my car, which means that I can’t readily defend myself. That’s nerve-wracking during stops along the way late at night or early in the morning. And I’m always concerned about being pulled over or getting into an accident while transporting my firearm. Despite having it safely stored and following the law, I worry about how things might go wrong.

Andrejczyk says she maintained a non-resident permit for Massachusetts for several years, but eventually gave it up because of the expense and time-consuming paperwork that was involved. But as she notes, even when she had a LTC from the Bay State, she was still forced to be disarmed while traveling through New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut on her way to Massachusetts. 

She didn't lose her First Amendment rights when she crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey. Her Fourth Amendment right to be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures remained intact when driving through the Empire State. The only right she lost when crossing a state line was her right to bear arms in self-defense. Until that no longer remains the case, the Second Amendment is essentially the bastard stepchild of the Bill of Rights, and a second-class right compared to all the other liberties we possess.