U.S. Conference of Mayors Voted to Formally Oppose “Concealed Carry Reciprocity” Legislation During Annual Conference In Miami
Last Week’s Pew Survey Found 81 Percent of Americans Oppose Allowing People To Carry Concealed Weapons Without a Permit
WASHINGTON — The New Mexico Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement today to applaud the U.S. Conference of Mayors for passing a resolution to oppose “Concealed Carry Reciprocity” legislation — the gun lobby’s top legislative priority — during its 85th annual meeting this weekend in Miami. The resolution, which passed yesterday, “calls on Congress to oppose policies and legislation, including but not limited to H.R. 38 the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 and S.446 the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, that would otherwise circumvent policies that cities have established to protect their residents.”
A Pew survey released last week found that 81 percent of Americans oppose allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit – a consequence which would result from passage of Concealed Carry Reciprocity.
And just yesterday, New York County District Attorney Cy Vance “‘warned lawmakers [backing Concealed Carry Reciprocity] that they were playing into the hand’ of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorists, pointing to ISIS publications describing the ease of buying guns in some American states.”
STATEMENT FROM EMILIE DE ANGELIS, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEAD WITH THE NEW MEXICO CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“‘Concealed Carry Reciprocity’ does not create a national standard for who can carry guns in public. Instead it guts public safety laws, forcing states like New Mexico to accept the concealed carry standards of every other state – no matter how weak or nonexistent those standards may be. For New Mexico, it would override our public safety laws, and force us to accept people carrying concealed guns from a dozen states that don’t even require people to have permits to carry hidden, loaded guns. We’re glad that the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors, including mayors from across New Mexico, is standing up to protect public safety, and we’re going to hold Congress accountable to ensure the defeat of this dangerous and chaotic legislation.”
STATEMENT FROM SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO, MAYOR JAVIER GONZALES:
“Federal concealed carry reciprocity legislation would override the hard-fought decisions we made locally about our public safety and force New Mexico to recognize concealed carry standards from every other state – even though requirements for carrying a gun in public very drastically across the country, and many states standards are lower than New Mexico’s. It would allow some people from neighboring states who have no permit whatsoever and may never have passed a background check to carry hidden, loaded guns across our state. It would create chaos for law enforcement and make New Mexico less safe. I’m proud to stand alongside so many mayors in opposing this reckless legislation.”