NADLER: WE MUST CHANGE OUR APPROACH TO GUN VIOLENCE AND ADOPT MEANINGFUL LEGISLATION

Statement of Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler Opposing H.R. 38, the “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017”

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY.) delivered the following remarks the Floor debate for H.R. 38, the “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.”

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 38, the “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” because this bill would not protect us from gun violence, but would instead make us far less safe.

Under current law, each state makes its own determination about who may carry a concealed firearm in public, including deciding which other states’ concealed carry permits to recognize.

This bill would eviscerate the core public safety determinations that each state makes concerning the concealed carrying of guns in public, based on the unique circumstances in each state and the desires of its citizens.

In fact, the standards and requirements adopted in the states vary dramatically:

Thirty-one states and DC require gun safety training to carry concealed guns in public, and 21 of those states require live fire training.

Twenty-seven states and DC prohibit individuals convicted of misdemeanor crimes of violence from concealed carry.

Twenty-eight states and DC prohibit convicted stalkers from carrying concealed guns.

Thirty-four states and DC prohibit those under 21 years of age from carrying concealed guns.

Many states prohibit gun possession and concealed carry by abusive dating partners, exceeding federal protections against abusive spouses.

All of these states would have their carefully-considered laws governing concealed carry overridden by this bill.

The obvious solution to the varying state laws is to continue to do what is currently done by many states, which is to choose which other state permits they will recognize. Some states, including my state of New York, have chosen not to recognize permits issued by any other state. Most states, however, have chosen to recognize permits from at least some other states — basing the choice on the strength of the standards employed by the other states. We should not disregard these determinations, which is what this bill would do.

In addition, I am deeply disappointed that the version of this bill before us today includes the bipartisan Fix NICS Act, a measure that should be enacted as a standalone bill without delay. That bill would take steps to address shortcomings with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or what we often call the “NICS.”

As the recent mass shooting at the church in Sutherland Springs, Texas illustrates, we must do more to ensure all relevant prohibiting records are submitted to the databases that comprise the NICS.

No one should pass a firearms background check that he or she should have failed simply because their record of a felony conviction or domestic violence record, or some other prohibition under federal law, was not included in the system. There is broad bipartisan support for the Fix NICS bill here in the House and in the Senate. That proposal, which actually would save lives, should not be tethered to the forced concealed carry reciprocity provisions of H.R. 38, which would only serve to endanger our citizens.

The answer to our national problem of gun violence is not that we need more people carrying concealed firearms on our streets. More than 33,000 Americans lose their life to gun violence each year, while in some other countries this figure barely exceeds 100. For example, in 2011 the United Kingdom had 146 deaths due to gun violence; Denmark, 71; Portugal, 142; and Japan, just 30. A study in the American Journal of Medicine found that, compared to 22 other high-income countries, the gun-related murder rate in the United States is 25 times higher. The common factor in all of those other countries is the availability of guns. Our country, however, is awash in guns, and we have the shameful death toll to show for it. Sadly, this bill will only increase it.

We must change our approach to gun violence and adopt meaningful legislation that strengthens our gun laws instead of weakening them. And, we must not undermine the efforts of states to defend their citizens against these harms.

Unfortunately, the dangers posed by the concealed carry reciprocity portion of the bill greatly outweigh the benefits of the NICS improvements. Therefore, I oppose H.R. 38 and I urge my colleagues to reject it today.

I reserve the balance of my time.