1/26: Concealed Carry Reciprocity
NAME OF ISSUE: – H.B. 38 passed 12/6/17 and sent to Senate
SENATE BILL # 446: Introduced, Read Twice, Referred to Judiciary Committee
SUGGESTED MEMBER SCRIPT: “Hi, my name is …, I’m a constituent from “i.e., Durango” zip code 81***. I STRONGLY OPPOSE the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would let people from states with weak gun safety laws carry concealed weapons in Colorado and in National Parks and Gun-Free School Zones.
WHO MEMBER IS TO CONTACT : US SENATE
- Senator Michael Bennet
(970) 259-1710 (Durango) (202) 224-5852 (DC Office)
www.bennet.senate.gov
- Senator Cory Gardner
(970) 415-7416 (Durango) (202) 224-5941 (DC Office)
http://www.gardner.senate.gov
WHEN TO CALL OR WRITE: ASAP. This bill could head to the floor of the Senate for a vote soon.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: Last November, the Senate came up with a bipartisan bill to tighten up the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, but just months after the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the House combined that proposal with its Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, to make concealed carry permits issued in one state valid in all other states – basically making the lowest common denominator of public safety applicable throughout the nation. It would also allow anybody with a concealed carry permit to do so on any federal land, such as national parks or national monuments. While 38 states require gun owners to obtain a state-issued permit to lawfully carry a concealed weapon in public, the requirements vary widely. A dozen states require no permit – or any sort of training – at all.
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act [CCRA] would require states with stronger regulations to recognize concealed carry permits issued by those with weak regulations or no regulations at all.
Of particular concern, are two issues: While the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act prohibits concealed carry in a school zone, the House bill overrides federal law concerning concealed carry in a school zone, specifically stating that people with concealed-carry permits aren’t subject to the restrictions in the Gun-Free School Zones Act. Next, the CCRA could make it easier for domestic abusers to threaten – or kill – their prior partners with firearms after a survivor relocates to another state. In the Senate, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act will need to clear a 60-vote threshold to pass. Please call your Senators and urge them not to pass this unwise law.