Five years ago, Carey McWilliams got a concealed weapons permit in the state of North Dakota. Like all the other holders, he passed the required tests, including a target shooting test. Unlike all the other holders, he’s blind. From an interview with MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson:
CARLSON: Well, it sounds, you know, indisputable that you passed the test, but if you can’t see the target, how do you know you are hitting the target and not a crowd of people, say?
MCWILLIAMS: Well, it’s the same way that snipers in the military work. Anti-sniper patrols are, of course, going to try to get a sniper who wants to remain hidden to pick off soldiers, so, therefore, they have to operate guns, and so forth, without being able to see their target. And the way I do it is I use body positioning and gravity, which are always constant to everybody. And then I also use basic sound, if I can get it, would be fine, but I visualize the target in my mind, and I can actually see it then in front of my eyes, and I visualize where the gun is in relation to the target. And with that, I was able to place 10 out of 10 in a half-silhouette from seven yards away.
McWilliams’ personal website has more about his interesting background, including an informative FAQ section, and info on his first novel, entitled “Moonlight’s Meridian: Nuclear Terrorism and The Undead.”
But the reason McWilliams is just now talking to Tucker Carlson is even more interesting. Because a blind person was able to pass the shooting test in North Dakota, lawmakers there are considering dropping it from the requirements to get a concealed weapons permit. And McWilliams is, of all things, opposed to dropping the test.
CARLSON: I should tell our viewers that I received a letter from you two weeks ago, which is how we came to know of you, and why I wanted to meet you so much. Complaining, saying I am a totally blind marksman, I have a concealed weapons permit, but I am horrified, you wrote, about the lax gun laws in your state of North Dakota. You are worried that people who should not have concealed weapons permits are getting them, is that right?
MCWILLIAMS: Yes. The legislature went ahead and, without consulting me at all, just decided that if a lowly blind person can pass their shooting exam, which I have heard from the police officers that were around me when I was shooting, they said that they dread that kind of test. Even though I passed that, they were just going to toss it, and throw it away, and then everybody and their brother-in-law can just pretty much show up and don’t know anything about firearms, but feeling macho that day, they just show their driver’s license, and there they are.
So he’s pro-gun, and has a CCW permit, but he wants to keep it hard for anyone to get their concealed weapons permit.
Now, we here at Gun Guys think that what McWilliams has done is pretty amazing, although we do wish he’d concentrated his considerable enthusiasm on something less dangerous than concealed weapons. He claims he wants the weapon for protection, but if he really wants to feel safe, he probably should stay away from guns.
Nevertheless, he is right in saying that North Dakota shouldn’t drop the shooting test in place. If they’re concerned that even a blind person could pass the test, maybe instead of dropping it, they should make it more rigorous. Maybe the requirements to get a concealed weapons permit in North Dakota are just too lax. Even better, if North Dakota is worried people who shouldn’t have guns are running around with guns there, maybe they should discontinue allowing concealed weapons in the first place. As McWilliams says, they’re not allowed in bars, churches, and schools there– if they’re that unsafe, why should they be allowed anywhere?
