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As Key House Committee Prepares to Vote On Concealed Carry Reciprocity, Law Enforcement Leaders Warn of Threats to Public Safety

November 28, 2017 – As the House Judiciary Committee prepares to vote Wednesday on concealed carry reciprocity, distinguished law enforcement leaders from across the country warned how the bill puts officers at risk and will make communities across America less safe.

In advance of the House Judiciary Committee’s markup of the concealed carry reciprocity bill on Wednesday, members of the Giffords Law Enforcement Coalition today sent a letter to Congressional leaders warning that this legislation create a dangerous threat to public safety by forcing states with strong concealed carry laws to honor permits from states with weak or nonexistent concealed carry laws, undermining current state permitting standards. The legislation would also make the job of law enforcement officers much harder.

“As America still reels from two of the worst mass shootings in our nation’s history and continues to suffer from an epidemic of gun violence that costs lives everyday, Congress is more interested in helping the gun lobby than supporting law enforcement,” said Captain Mark Kelly, cofounder of Giffords and son of two law enforcement officers. “Federally mandated concealed carry is an assault on law enforcement professionals – on their ability to protect public safety, on their personal safety, and even on their own financial security. We need politicians to show courage and listen to the American people, who want stronger laws to keep them safer, not give-aways to gun lobbyists.”

The letter’s authors are members of the Giffords Law Enforcement Coalition, a national initiative organized by Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, that brings together law enforcement officials from across the country who are committed to urging our elected leaders to enact responsible change.

 The letter sent to both Senate and House leadership reads: “As law enforcement professionals, we understand the power of firearms. Importantly, we also understand the value and efficacy of commonsense laws that protect public safety. Many major law enforcement groups have been outspoken in their opposition to mandating concealed carry reciprocity. Joining those organizations in this vein, we respectfully request that both the House and Senate reject H.R. 38 and the threat it poses to our communities and law enforcement officers nationwide.”

“The gun violence crisis has claimed the lives of over 500 law enforcement officers in the past decade. But Congress is intent on pushing forward a bill that would make it easier for dangerous individuals to carry guns and go after officers and the communities they protect,” said David Chipman, Giffords Senior Policy Advisor and a retired 25-year ATF veteran. “This is unacceptable. Politicians should be listening to the law enforcement experts that say federally mandated concealed carry reciprocity will hurt public safety. It’s time for them to show they can stand up to gun manufacturers who are more concerned with profits than the lives of public servants.”

Visit this page on the Giffords website to read more about the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

Law Enforcement Leaders Speak Out Against Concealed Carry Reciprocity:The letter released today adds to mounting opposition voiced by law enforcement leaders, who have been speaking out about the public safety dangers of federally mandating concealed carry reciprocity for the past several months, including:

Editorial Boards Call on Congress to Reject Concealed Carry Reciprocity

  •  Santa Fe New Mexican Editorial Board : “New Mexico should be able to keep its citizens safe — and that means making sure people who want to carry concealed weapons follow our laws, not weaker laws passed elsewhere. The ability to enforce laws that suit New Mexicans could be threatened by a national push to approve legislation that would allow people to carry concealed weapons across state lines.” [Santa Fe New Mexican, Shooting straight matters in N.M., 8/3/17]
  •  The Times Herald Editorial Board : “The bill, if passed, would require all states to honor the concealed weapons laws of other states — including those states that have weak or no standards for allowing people to carry hidden firearms in public. A dozen states require no permit or training for a person to carry a hidden firearm. If the bill passes, the group warns, visitors from those states would be allowed to carry concealed firearms in Michigan even though they’ve not been required to complete any training, testing or background screening.” [The Times Herald, Congress, Lansing Take Aim at our Safety, 8/2/17]
  •  Boston Globe Editorial Board : “The effect: Permits obtained in the least restrictive states, like Mississippi, would suddenly be valid in the most restrictive states, like Massachusetts.” [Boston Globe, From bad to worse on guns, 7/15/17]
  •  Chicago Tribune Editorial Board : “The whole idea of allowing concealed carry without a permit is a mistake. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock recently vetoed a bill to that effect, arguing that it would make just as much sense to let people drive a car or pilot a plane without a license… Supporters say that just as a driver’s license issued in one state is valid everywhere, a weapons permit should be. But states honor driver’s licenses voluntarily, not by federal mandate, a custom that makes sense because the requirements to get one don’t differ much from one place to another. Concealed carry permit standards vary greatly. Lax rules create a danger to public safety by allowing people without basic skills to carry guns.” [Chicago Tribune, Leave concealed carry laws to the states, 7/7/17]
  •  Register-Guard Editorial Board : “Congress should not pass a law that allows officials in South Dakota, Texas or Alaska to set the standards on who may carry concealed weapons in Oregon, California or Washington. What sponsors of the federal bill decry as a patchwork quilt of state requirements actually reflects the need and right of individual states to set standards that address their unique character, problems and values.” [The Register-Guard, A question of reciprocity, 6/15/17]
  •  New Jersey Star-Ledger Editorial Board : “The problem is all the other guns this would let in: carried by stalkers, drunk drivers, and abusive partners that other states allow to pack hidden heat.” [New Jersey Star-Ledger, Latest awful GOP idea: Let every Florida vigilante pack heat in N.J., 3/3/17]
  •  Bloomberg Editorial Board : “It also strengthens the right of many others who are not law-abiding, and who are more prone to aggression than protection. For example, stalkers, drunk drivers and abusive partners can carry a concealed weapon in some states. Other states prohibit them from doing so. Under Cornyn’s bill, those people would be able to take their concealed, loaded weapons anywhere.” [Bloomberg, Concealed Carry for All, Like It or Not, 3/1/17]
  •  New York Post Editorial Board : “Manhattan DA Cy Vance is right again: It would be an enormous “mistake” for Congress to de facto nationalize US gun laws at the lowest common denominator with the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.” [New York Post, Congress would be insane to override New York’s gun laws, 2/23/17]
  •  Los Angeles Times Editorial Board : “The reciprocity movement is nothing more than an effort to drive states’ concealed-carry laws to the lowest common denominator… Reasonable minds in Congress need to head this off before the NRA and its legislative acolytes make America even more dangerous by undercutting reasonable gun controls.” [The Los Angeles Times, With Trump’s victory, the NRA takes aim at public safety, 12/3/16]
  •  New York Times Editorial Board : “But since 2007, concealed-carry permit holders have been responsible for at least 898 deaths not involving self-defense, according to the Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group. This includes 29 mass shootings by permit holders who killed 139 people. Separate research has found that despite the overwhelming number of guns in America, they are very rarely used in self-defense or to stop crimes. The self defense myth of concealed carry nevertheless carries on, at the expense of public safety.” [New York Times, The Threat to Public Safety If Concealed Carry Goes National, 12/1/16]

Related Resources from Giffords: Visit this page on the Giffords website to read more about Concealed Carry Reciprocity. Highlighted resources include:

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