Picture this, friend. You’re taking your kids to the park, or picking them up from school, or headed to the grocery store, and you have no idea who around you is carrying a loaded, hidden firearm.
This is the deadly “guns everywhere” future the gun lobby and its allies in Congress are trying to create right now.
On Tuesday, a congressional committee marked up the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This deadly bill would create a concealed carry mandate and drastically increase the number of people carrying hidden, loaded firearms everywhere — like parks, playgrounds, and on public transportation — regardless of state or local law.
This is a recipe for disaster — and the result will be more people killed. There are 29 states that allow permitless carry with few to no safety standards — not even screening or firearms training. And under a concealed carry mandate, states with stronger standards would be forced to allow those from states with weaker or no standards to carry hidden firearms within their borders.
Research tells us that states with permitless carry laws already see higher rates of gun violence, including a 29% increase in violent crime. And this bill is not only deadly to our communities, but it is also deeply unpopular with the majority of Americans and law enforcement nationwide.
Three in 4 Americans, including the majority of Republicans and gun owners, oppose a concealed carry mandate. Even the International Association of Chiefs of Police opposes it. Because allowing untrained, unvetted, and unlicensed individuals to carry hidden, loaded firearms makes it harder for police to identify who is a credible threat, leading to increased violence and distrust between the police and vulnerable communities.
The bottom line is clear: The American people DO NOT want the gun lobby’s dystopian future with guns everywhere — and your representatives in Congress need to know that. That’s why we’re reaching out today, friend.
Will you please urge your representatives to OPPOSE this deadly concealed carry mandate? It’s on the move in Congress, and we need to do everything in our power to STOP it before it makes it to the House floor. Please make your voice heard today!