[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 110 (Tuesday, July 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7771-S7772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY

  Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong 
opposition to Senator Thune's amendment regarding concealed carry 
reciprocity. This legislation ignores the explosion of gun crime 
plaguing America's cities and putting an unnecessary burden on local 
law enforcement.
  In my home State of Illinois, an entire generation of young people, 
many of whom live in urban areas, is being decimated with gun violence. 
On May 10 of 2007, a 16-year-old honor student named Blair Holt was 
shot to death while riding a Chicago city bus. When the shooter opened 
fire, Blair was shot while protecting a young girl with whom he was 
riding. The shooter was also a 16-year-old boy and an admitted member 
of the Gangster Disciples national street gang. Just the other day, 
justice was presented to him when he was given 100 years in prison by 
the judge.
  Similar tragic stories have only grown more frequent. In the first 6 
months of 2009, Chicago alone logged 202 homicides, 84 percent of whom 
were

[[Page S7772]]

shot to death. In comparison, in the same period of time, we lost 101 
troops in Iraq and 99 in Afghanistan.
  The people of Chicago deserve better than life in a war zone. 
Hundreds of Chicago public school students have been shot so far this 
year. By the end of the school year in June, at least 36 had died.
  Over the Fourth of July weekend, while most of us celebrated our 
Nation's independence, Chicago suffered through an almost unparalleled 
torrent of gun violence: 63 shootings were tallied, and 11 of them were 
fatal.
  The carnage on Independence Day weekend led the Chicago Tribune to 
demand on July 10: ``Where is our courage? Where is the indignation 
over the slaughter of Chicago's children?''
  This is far too high a price to pay for inaction. I will say it 
again: The people of Chicago deserve better than life in a war zone. 
Students deserve better than being gunned down in the streets after 
school and parents deserve better than having to raise families in the 
midst of a bloodbath. We must work vigorously to combat the rampant gun 
violence in our cities and urban areas.
  As a registered gun owner myself, I respect the second amendment and 
responsible gun ownership. However, I am deeply concerned about the 
devastating consequences of guns falling into the wrong hands. To this 
end, I strongly believe we should keep firearms out of the hands of 
children, terrorists, and criminals, and in solving this problem we 
need to provide local law enforcement officials with the support they 
so desperately need.
  Concealed carry regulation is an issue best left to cities and States 
and not the Federal Government. It is our job as Federal legislators to 
enact measures that strengthen States' law enforcement efforts instead 
of arbitrarily increasing their burden. A national standard of 
reciprocity would ignore the challenges local law enforcement struggles 
with on a daily basis when combating gangs and drug dealers in big 
cities.
  I am not alone in my opposition to the Thune amendment. I join the 
International Association of Chiefs of Police and State lawmakers 
around the country in recognizing that this legislation would severely 
hamper efforts to combat gun crime in our Nation's urban areas.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have 2 letters from the the 
mayor of the city of Chicago, Mayor Daley, and the Major Cities Chiefs 
Association be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                          Office of the Mayor,

                                       Chicago, IL, July 17, 2009.
     Hon. Roland W. Burris,
     U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Burris: I am writing to express the City of 
     Chicago's strong opposition to Senator Thune's amendment 
     regarding concealed carry reciprocity, and to urge you to 
     vote against this amendment as part of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (S. 1390).
       Although the State of Illinois would not be affected 
     directly by its passage, this amendment runs the possible 
     risk of reinforcing current movements in the Illinois 
     legislature to pass concealed-carry laws, which would greatly 
     set back Chicago's efforts to curtail gun violence. Concealed 
     carry regulation is an issue best left to cities and states, 
     and not the Federal government. A national standard of 
     reciprocity would ignore the challenges local law enforcement 
     struggle with on a daily basis when combating gangs and drug 
     dealers in big cities.
       Pasasge of this amendment would limit the ability of states 
     and local governments to protect their citizens with common-
     sense and community-specific laws and regulations regarding 
     the carrying of hidden handguns. It would promote gun 
     trafficking by making it easier to transport firearms between 
     states without the fear of being apprehended by law 
     enforcement. The bill would also endanger the safety of our 
     police officers by making it more difficult to distinguish 
     between legal and illegal gun possession--ambiguity that 
     would have life or death consequences.
       The City of Chicago continues to do all it can to protect 
     our communities from the gun violence of gangs and drug 
     dealers. It is a tireless effort that requires the 
     involvement of the community members, the hard work of local 
     law enforcement and sensible policy decisions made at all 
     levels of government. The Thune amendment would serve as an 
     obstacle to these efforts, and that is why I strongly urge 
     you to oppose this potentially debilitating legislation.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Richard M. Daley,
     Mayor.
                                  ____



                              Major Cities Chiefs Association,

                                                    July 17, 2009.
     Hon. Harry Reid,
     Majority Leader, Hart Office Bldg., U.S. Senate, Washington, 
         DC.
     Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
     Speaker, Cannon Office Bldg., House of Representatives, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi: On behalf of 
     the Major Cities Chiefs, I am writing to express our strong 
     opposition to S. 845 and H.R. 1620, the Respecting States 
     Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009. Because 
     we are responsible for public safety in the largest 
     jurisdictions in the United States, we recognize that this 
     legislation would be an enormous mistake.
       This misguided legislation would undermine efforts by law 
     enforcement agencies across the Nation and thwart measures 
     already enacted by the states. Please know that we stand with 
     the more than 400 Mayors who have objected to this ill-
     conceived proposal.
       An oversimplification of carefully reasoned standards and 
     licensing provisions, the proposed measure would arbitrarily 
     overturn laws which have been tailored to the needs of 
     regions and local communities. Passage of this legislation 
     would be an affront to Federalism as it would force a state 
     to accept permits from other jurisdictions--whether or not 
     the permits comport with the laws of that state.
       We are confident that members of Congress will respect the 
     authority of states, counties and cities to adopt their own 
     regulations regarding weapons and will not act with disregard 
     for the many reasonable and prudent laws already in place 
     across the Nation.
       Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs call upon you to vote against 
     this dangerous and unconstitutional legislation.
           All the best,

                                           William J. Bratton,

                                 Chief of Police, Los Angeles, CA,
                      President, Major Cities Chiefs' Association.

  Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, as I said earlier, cities in every State 
face unique challenges that require tailored solutions. This is never 
truer than with the issue of gun control. It is imperative that States 
set their own standards for concealed carry permits and are not 
obligated to honor permits awarded elsewhere with different, 
potentially less rigorous requirements. We must not tie the hands of 
State governments regarding their ability to protect and serve their 
citizens.
  I think that this legislation moves our national gun policy in the 
wrong direction. In their assessment of the recent gun violence, the 
Tribune opined that ``The tragic loss of brave soldiers killed overseas 
grabs media headlines and fuels the raging fires of political debate. 
Meanwhile, in another war right here in our own backyard, the killings 
continue, almost ignored.''
  We cannot ignore this horrific situation any longer. We must not be 
conned into believing that easier access to firearms will reduce 
firearm deaths. Rather than making it easier for people to bring 
concealed weapons into other States, I hope my colleagues will get 
serious about addressing the urgent problem of gun crime in our cities 
and among our youth.
  I urge my fellow Senators to not only vote against this amendment but 
to join me in working towards a real solution for this senseless cycle 
of death.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio is recognized.

                          ____________________