U.S. Concealed Carry Association Statement on New Senate Firearms Legislation
"Any New Federal Firearms Legislation Should Also Include Concealed Carry Reciprocity"

West Bend, WI – Following today's report that a bipartisan group of Senators is introducing new federal legislation aimed at improving background checks for gun sales, Tim Schmidt, the President and Founder of the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) made the following statement:

"Like the NRA and other pro-Second Amendment organizations, the USCCA supports the inclusion of all appropriate records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and particularly those convicted of domestic violence. If the system is broken that should be addressed, but Congress should not stop there.

"We must also recognize that acts of terror in the United States and abroad have continued to occur, making the right to self-defense more important than ever. We saw that firsthand just this month when a brave Texan confronted and wounded the Southerland Springs mass shooter with his AR-15. And in New York City a police officer was fortunately able to stop the terrorist who killed innocent bikers, but it shouldn't be overlooked that New York City laws ensured that none of the other citizens there had a weapon to defend themselves, especially if the terrorist had a real firearm.

"There are additional steps Congress can and should take to ensure a safer America and that begins with finally passing national concealed carry reciprocity legislation. Law-abiding citizens should have the right to defend themselves and their families at all times from killers who do not follow our laws at all.

"If Congress is going to consider new firearms legislation, national concealed carry reciprocity should part of that debate and included in the legislation."



BACKGROUND:

USCCA has been urging legislators to follow through on their promise to pass national concealed carry reciprocity, which would ensure that concealed carry permits issued in one state would be considered valid in the other 49 states. U.S. Senator John Cornyn introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act through S.446 earlier this year and Congressman Richard Hudson did the same through the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 in H.R.446. Both bills would ensure that concealed carry permits issued in one state would be respected in them all.

The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) provides education, training and self-defense insurance to responsible American gun owners. Headquartered in West Bend, WI, the USCCA is the largest and fastest-growing association whose sole focus is the responsibly armed American.

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