WASHINGTON – A
state permit to carry a concealed firearm would be valid in almost
every state in the country under legislation the House passed
Wednesday.
The first pro-gun bill the House has taken
up this year and the first since Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was
severely injured in a gun attack in January, it had the National Rifle
Association's backing and passed by a comfortable margin. The vote was
272-154, with only seven Republicans voting against it and 43 Democrats
supporting it.
The Democratic-controlled Senate has no
parallel bill. But two years ago, GOP Sens. John Thune of South Dakota
and David Vitter of Louisiana nearly succeeded in attaching a similar
measure to a larger bill.
Under the House legislation, people with a
concealed carry permit in one state could carry a concealed weapon in
every other state that gives people the right to carry concealed
weapons.
While states have various standards for
issuing such permits, currently only Illinois and the District of
Columbia prohibit the concealed carrying of weapons.
"The Second Amendment is a fundamental right
to bear arms that should not be constrained by state boundary lines,"
said GOP Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee.
The bill's chief co-sponsor, Rep. Cliff
Stearns, R-Fla., said states should consider concealed carry permits no
differently from driver's licenses recognized by all states. He noted
that many states already have reciprocity agreements with other states.
The legislation would "make it easier for
law-abiding permit holders to know that they are simply in compliance
with the law when they carry a firearm as they travel," he said.
Democratic opponents said the bill would
constitute a "race to the bottom," with states that have strict
requirements for issuing permits having to accept permits from states
with far more lax standards.
"It's a situation where weaker state laws
become the national law," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va. He noted that
some states require training for permit holders, or deny permits to
those under 21 or who sell drugs to minors, commit sex offenses or are
involved in domestic violence.
According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent
Gun Violence, the measure would allow states with tough requirements,
such as New York and California, "to allow in concealed carry gun-toting
people from states, such as Florida, which repeatedly have given
dangerous people licenses to carry."
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., and Sen.
Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., wrote President Barack Obama last week urging
him to issue a veto threat against the bill. Passing the bill "would
jeopardize public safety and would be an insult to states like New
Jersey and New York that purposefully have strong gun ownership laws,"
they wrote.
The administration has not yet taken an official position on the bill.
Democrats also chided Republicans for
ignoring their dedication to states' rights. "For the Republican House
majority that supposedly believes in states' rights, this bill is
shocking," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
There hasn't been much legislative action on
firearms issues this year. A spending bill that the House is expected
to vote on this week would bar the Justice Department from consolidating
firearms sales records or maintaining information on people who have
passed firearms background checks.
The chief sponsors of the concealed weapon
measure, Stearns and Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., said their proposal
would not create a federal licensing system but merely require states to
honor one another's carry permits.
People who are unable to get a permit in
their home state would not be able to carry a concealed weapon in their
home state by getting a permit in another state. A state's ban on
carrying concealed weapons in places such as bars, sporting events or
state parks would apply to nonresidents as well as residents.
Thirty-five states have "shall issue" permit
laws that usually require states to issue permits to those who meet
legal requirements. Ten others have "may issue" or discretionary permit
laws. Vermont, Arizona, Alaska and Wyoming do not require a permit to
carry a concealed weapon.