There are rumblings in Congress that when the House eventually reconvenes*, there will be a considerable push to pass mandated concealed carry reciprocity (HR 38 and S.65).
Mandated reciprocity would allow anyone with a concealed carry permit (CCW) from any state to carry a hidden handgun in Colorado. The House bill would even allow individuals from permitless states to carry a hidden gun in any state.
The Colorado legislature has defeated permitless concealed carry 14 times, but there are 29 other states where just being legally able to possess a gun allows you to carry it concealed. With enactment of HR 38, visitors from those 29 states could legally carry hidden handguns on our streets with:
- No background check to verify their eligibility
- No training requirements
- No law enforcement discretion
- No required understanding of our state and local gun laws
What could possibly go wrong?
Concealed carry has been proven to increase gun violence by as much as 15%. The Violence Policy Center notes that 2817 people have been killed by CCW killers, including at 38 mass shootings.
Action Alert: Please contact your congressional representative and U.S. senators and encourage them to vote NO on Concealed Carry Reciprocity. Colorado representatives Hurd, Evans, and Crank have already signed on as co-sponsors. Also, though his votes are better since then, Senator Michael Bennet voted for the CCW reciprocity bill in 2009.
*The U.S. House has been on paid vacation since September 19th, despite not having passed 9 of 12 mandatory appropriations bills.