Senator Schumer Opposes NRA-Backed Gun Law That Would “Override” NY’s Concealed Carry Restrictions

Senator Chuck Schumer is sounding the alarm on a new NRA-backed bill that would allow out-of-state visitors to carry concealed weapons in New York.

The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 was introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and would force states that allow the concealed carry of handguns to recognize permits issued in other states.

According to statement issued by Senator Schumer’s office, the bill could be voted on this month by the Judiciary Committee and be up for a floor vote.

“Just days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, the NRA is engaging their allies in Congress to push through a dangerous national concealed carry reciprocity law,” said Schumer, referencing the shooting attack in Las Vegas that left 58 dead and hundreds injured last week.

In New York, where concealed carry permit regulations are notoriously stringent, this would mean recognizing permits from states that issue permits more easily. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit  organization that advocates gun control, only 31 states require gun safety training for a concealed carry permit, and only 21 of those actually require live-fire training.

One of the key concerns about the bill is how difficult it is for law enforcement officers to determine the validity of an out-of-state concealed carry permit—especially when there is no national database.

In a city that has waged a decades-long war against gun violence, the prospect of armed interlopers in New York’s institutions was a chief concern in Schumer’s statement: “It would allow virtually any person in the entire country to purchase and handgun and then carry [it] anywhere in new York City, including the subway, Times Square or Penn Station.”