A 70-year-old Vietnam vet who lives in central New York was visited by sheriff’s deputies at 9:30 p.m. one night in February. They had a court order claiming he’d been deemed mentally unfit, and under the state’s Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act or Brady Act—no one seems to agree which one triggered really the event—he had to surrender all of his firearms. Recently the vet was reunited with his guns.

Don Hall turned over two handguns and four long guns to the officers when they arrived, but none of it made sense. He hadn’t been committed or even seen a psychiatrist. In fact, his last visit to a hospital was four years ago to undergo testing for sleep apnea.

He engaged attorney John Panzone, and a followed his advice to collect statements from all four Utica, NY, hospitals attesting to the fact he wasn’t admitted or treated for any mental condition. The one he did visit, however, read back a slightly different social security number when he inquired about his records.

His lawyer told the New York Upstate it looks like another patient named Hall sought help for mental health issues in Oneida County. When the social security numbers were comingled between the two vastly different treatments, law enforcement was dispatched to confiscated the wrong man’s firearms.

The court ultimately recognized the error and reunited him with his firearms in July. Paying for legal counsel and patiently wading through the judicial process was frustrating for Hall. “I was guilty until I could prove myself innocent,” He said. “They don’t tell you why or what you supposedly did. It was just a bad screw-up.”

“I’m surprised it sailed through the way it did with a man who has a spotless record,” Panzone said. “To me, presumption of innocence is the foundation of our system, and this provision doesn’t allow for that.”

Those who’ve made the choice to take charge of their well-being until authorities arrive during a criminal attack—by securing a concealed carry permit—face an ever-changing landscape where they may not be honored in certain states, even neighboring ones a few miles away. Worse yet, reciprocity status can change unexpectedly.

Photographers often travel with expensive gear. I do, and I don’t exactly have the kind physique it takes to intimidate an armed robber into backing down—not that anyone does with today’s drug-crazed culprits. I’ve been lucky enough to escape several dangerous criminal confrontations with my life, but all those optics I tote around for assignments make me  an attractive target of opportunity (on the bright side, at someone considers me attractive in some way). I now have a carry permit, thankfully haven’t had to use it, and recommend other law-abiding photogs do the same.

The national Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38), which is currently being considered by Congress, would allow those with CCWs to carry in every state in the nation, but it would still require adherence to all applicable regulations in the respective jurisdictions. It’s every bit as sensible as driver’s license privileges not being suspended periodically as you drive cross country. It’s important, and the kind of good common sense legislation that should see a tidal wave of signatures on the White House Petition urging President Donald Trump help pass the measure.

The petition explains in part, “No other group is as law-abiding as concealed handgun permit holders, regardless of which state they are from. Currently over 20 states, such as Virginia, North Carolina, and Arizona, already honor permits from all other states, without issue. H.R. 38 will simply make such recognition uniform across the nation and will save many innocent American lives!”

Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act is a Big Issue

The issue isn’t a small one, either. There are more than 16.3 million permit holders across the nation and last year that number grew by more than ever before. The odds are pretty good most of them took or have taken a vacation this year, and the confusing reciprocity maze meant booking reservations wasn’t their only homework.

NRA-ILA’s July story explains the positive promise the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act holds. It states, “Though support for national reciprocity and the number of law-abiding gun owners it would impact are both increasing, getting the legislation through Congress requires all of us to make sure our representatives know how important it is.”

You can do that today by visiting the petition website, signing and making your voice heard. It’s fast, free and an eloquent reminder to our legislators that the right to self-defense isn’t suspended at any border.