Seventeen Attorneys General Released a Letter Opposing “Concealed Carry Reciprocity,” Including Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller
Law Enforcement Organizations Making up the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence and Bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors Have Also Opposed “Concealed Carry Reciprocity”
DES MOINES, Iowa – Volunteers with the Iowa chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety released the following statement today, applauding Attorney General Tom Miller for joining a group of seventeen attorneys general in opposing “concealed carry reciprocity’ in a letter to Congress released today.
The letter, signed by attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia states in part that, “Rather than creating a new national standard for who may carry concealed firearms, these bills would elevate the lowest state standard over higher ones and force some States to allow concealed carry by people who do not qualify under their laws. … We fear that, if enacted, these bills inevitable will lead to the death of police officers and civilians, the proliferation of gun traffickers, and acts of terrorism and other mass violence.”
Learn more about concealed carry reciprocity here.
STATEMENT FROM KATIE ALBRECHT, VOLUNTEER WITH THE IOWA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“The Iowa chapter of Moms Demand Action applauds Attorney General Tom Miller for standing up for common sense and opposing ‘concealed carry reciprocity.’ The gun violence prevention movement in Iowa is strong, and I appreciate Attorney General Miller’s thoughtful opposition to this dangerous legislation.”
“Concealed carry reciprocity” would force every state to accept the concealed carry standards of every other state, including states with much weaker or nonexistent standards. Iowa doesn’t allow people recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor crime to concealed carry and requires gun safety training. However, 23 states allow people to concealed carry even if they’ve recently been convicted of a violent misdemeanor crime, and 19 states don’t require any training. For example, Iowa’s neighbor, Missouri, allows people convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes to carry. Missouri also doesn’t require a permit or any gun safety training. Iowa also enables law enforcement to block concealed carry by people with dangerous red flags in their history, such as domestic disturbances or assault arrests, but 25 states, including Iowa’s neighbors Nebraska and Wisconsin, do not allow give law enforcement this authority. Under concealed carry reciprocity, people in a dozen states that don’t even require permits for a person to concealed carry could carry hidden, loaded guns in Iowa, and in all 50 states.
Under current law, every state determines its own standards for concealed carry, and no state should be forced to allow people to carry concealed handguns who otherwise do not meet the standards they have set for themselves.
Since the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the gun lobby has opposed legislation to improve our gun laws, and has instead repeatedly called for Congress to pass its top priority, “concealed carry reciprocity.”