2nd Amendment Tag

So, this happened: the 4th Circuit released an en banc decision involving a traffic stop in which a concealed carrier passenger was frisked by police, and much of the gun owning community lost its mind in a manner reminiscent of Rachel Maddow. The gist of much of the media coverage--particularly the coverage from the right--was the law abiding people who CCW have effectively been wholly stripped of their 4th Amendment rights.  Is there no Constitutional safe space for these poor folks? Given the histrionics, it's worth taking a look at the actual facts of the case (indeed, it's worth reading the entire decision, including the concurrence and dissent, so I've embedded that below). Before I begin, however, I feel that I ought to provide some context.  I, myself, routinely carry a concealed firearm for personal protection. You can read "routinely" to mean wherever and whenever lawful.  I've been doing so for my entire adult life.

For those of us in the gun rights and concealed carry community (and old enough to have been around) the 1990s was a pivotal decade. When it began, there were only 15 states that would issue concealed carry permits to private citizens based on objective criteria and just one that required no permit at all to carry concealed. In contrast an almost identical number (14) that would not issue such permits under any circumstances. In 1992 Bill Clinton was elected President, and working with a largely Democrat Congress he managed to pass the infamous “Assault Weapons Ban” that also limited magazine capacities to 10 rounds.

The anti-Trump riots in Portland were vicious. KGW8 has numerous videos of the rioting. This poor woman, who apparently was pregnant, was attacked in her car by the mob. (Original video at KGW8) Rioters trashed everything in sight, but backed off when a man stood in front of his apartment building holding a gun, as he shouted they were calling 911.