H.R. 38 would force every state to recognize concealed carry permits issued by any other state. This proposal would infringe on New Jersey’s ability to take the steps necessary to protect its own citizens and public safety. According to The Star Ledger, New Jersey has more stringent concealed carry laws than many other states: it requires residents to show a “justifiable need” in order to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Do not let Congress render New Jersey’s law irrelevant.

Many supporters of H.R. 38 believe that concealed carry permit holders are always law-abiding, stable citizens who should be trusted to carry loaded, concealed handguns in public. They are wrong. Research from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) shows that individuals with permits to carry concealed handguns frequently perpetrate murders, suicides, and even mass shootings — and all too often their guns are accessed by children who kill themselves or others in tragic unintentional shootings.

HOW THIS ACT WOULD AFFECT NEW JERSEY. Some states have rigorous standards for issuing concealed carry permits, while others issue permits with minimal oversight. In many states, concealed carry permits have been granted to domestic abusers and other criminals, the severely mentally ill, and suicidal individuals, among others. Some states do not extend reciprocity to permits issued by any other state, allowing only their own residents to carry concealed handguns within their borders. And while some states do recognize out-of-state permits, their lawmakers have the power to decide the states with which they will have such agreements. Mandated national concealed carry legislation would eliminate New Jersey’s discretion over who can carry guns in public within its own borders, effectively making another state’s weak law the law of the land in New Jersey.

CONCEALED CARRY KILLERS
Violence Policy Center research shows that concealed carry permits are not just issued to “law-abiding citizens” or stable individuals. In fact, permit holders frequently carry out murders, suicides, and unintentional shootings. The VPC’s ongoing Concealed Carry Killers project (concealedcarrykillers.org) keeps track of hundreds of examples of fatal, non-self defense incidents involving individuals with concealed carry permits. Detailed information on many of these incidents is online and organized by state. The VPC has found there have been at least 873 people killed by concealed carry killers since May 2007. In that time frame, there have been at least 29 mass shootings perpetrated by concealed carry killers, resulting in the deaths of 139 victims. Concealed carry permit holders have also been responsible for the deaths of at least 17 law enforcement officers. Because there is no comprehensive recordkeeping or database of concealed carry incidents and many states in fact bar the release of such information, the VPC has compiled its database of fatal concealed carry incidents primarily from news reports. The total number of people killed by permit holders is almost certainly far higher.

VOTE YES ON THIS INITIATIVE AND TELL YOUR LAWMAKERS: REJECT MANDATED NATIONAL CONCEALED CARRY. Thus far, only one NJ Member of Congress (McArthur - R -8) has co-sponsored the bill. We need to keep the rest of the New Jersey delegation off the bill. Among gubernatorial candidates on the Democratic side, there is unanimity in opposition to the bill. Please be prepared to work to defeat H.R. 38 and help us by sharing with us, at Cease Fire NJ, any intelligence you have, or the results of meetings with key officials.

For more information, visit the Violence Policy Center’s Concealed Carry Killers database at http://concealedcarrykillers.org/. Or contact VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand at (202)-822-8200 x 102, [email protected].