I'll never give up my CCDW. I have a daughter that lives in Missouri and I make trips there every month. I need reciprocity. I am 77 years old and doubt that I will be buying more guns, but you never know. A bargain may come my way and I want to avoid the NICS (because I always get a 3-day delay and never a call back). The most important issue is the Federal Gun Free School Zone Act. Carrying a firearm within 1000 ft. of school property is a federal crime. A state-issued Concealed Carry License gives you a pass in your home state. I know there will be people here that will say, "That never happens". Well, it has happened and I don't want to be one of the few people it happens to. Any one of those three reasons is enough for me to keep mine.
KC3 and Take Back Ky. were the principal motivators to get our legislators to pass HB 30 in 1996, which became our concealed carry statute. I was a member of both organizations at that time and worked hard to see that bill pass. I had one of the first licenses issued and was instructor #51. When I die, my CCDW is going with me. Here is a little history lesson. The State Government was firmly in the hands of the democrats in 1996. HB 30 was introduced by Representative Bob Damron of Nicholasville. Bob was a democrat (and part of party leadership) and was our "go to guy" for help on gun bills. He also sponsored our present preemption statute, KRS 65.870 in 2012, which was also a KC3 and Take Back Ky. bill. Paul Patton was the democrat governor in 1996. He signed HB 30 into law and almost immediately he became the first violator of the law, by putting all state government buildings "off limits to concealed carry", which the bill says can only be done by the General Assembly. The Attorney General (also a democrat) ruled that the Governor could act since the General Assemby was out of session. Well, as soon as January rolled around again that ban on guns in state buildings was gone.