Hoyer: Republican Gun Bill Violates States’ Rights, Creates

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Hoyer: Republican Gun Bill Violates States’ Rights, Creates Zero Jobs



WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, a bill that would undermine the ability of states to legislate on firearm safety and has nothing to do with jobs:
“With the myriad of problems facing our nation, I find it inconceivable that the Republican leadership has chosen to prioritize this bill. I strongly urge its defeat for two important reasons.
“First, this bill would cripple the ability of individual states to legislate on firearm safety and related public safety issues as their unique circumstances dictate. Essentially, it says that if you live in a state with strict protections on who is allowed to carry a concealed firearm, someone from another state who does not meet that requirement could take a concealed weapon into your state unhindered. In Maryland, we only issue concealed-carry permits to state residents who meet certain criteria. It is a reasonable and balanced state law. If this bill were enacted, Maryland’s law would only apply to Maryland residents and effectively exempt residents of other states whose conceal-carry permit criteria differ from ours.
“Second, this is not a jobs bill. Americans have been waiting months for the republican house majority to introduce jobs legislation or allow Democrats to have a vote on ours. Pandering to the extreme right with a bill to put more concealed guns into our neighborhoods does not create jobs. It will only make our streets less safe and contribute to the trafficking in illegal firearms.
“This bill is opposed by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group that includes more than 600 mayors, as well as by law enforcement personnel across the country. I call on my colleagues to oppose it and to demand from the leadership that we see jobs legislation, such as Democrats’ Make It In America Plan, on the floor instead.”



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