[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 176 (Thursday, November 17, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NATIONAL RIGHT-TO-CARRY RECIPROCITY ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 16, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 822) to 
     amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a national 
     standard in accordance with which nonresidents of a State may 
     carry concealed firearms in the State.

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 822 
because it threatens to undermine our states' ability to enforce their 
own gun laws and endangers the safety of our citizens, especially those 
that serve in law enforcement.
  If this legislation passes, it would mean that the Republican-
controlled Congress will automatically give anyone the right to carry a 
concealed, loaded weapon into Minnesota's neighborhoods. This reckless 
bill is opposed by mayors, governors, domestic violence prevention 
advocates, and major law enforcement organizations, including the 
Minnesota Chief of Police Association. As members of our law 
enforcement community will attest, the best way to prevent gun violence 
is to keep guns off the street and out of the hands of criminals. Gun 
traffickers routinely take advantage of gun show loopholes and 
negligent background checks to divert guns from the legal market into 
the criminal market. This legislation makes it even more difficult to 
trace illegal guns and keep them out of the hands of those that could 
inflict harm on our Minnesota law enforcement officers, families, and 
friends.
  H.R. 822 takes away Minnesota's right to police its own communities 
and enforce its own stringent gun laws. As with every state and 
municipality across the country, Minnesota has developed its laws to 
adequately meet the needs of its residents. This legislation unfairly 
forces states with strict gun laws to recognize conceal-and-carry 
permits issued by any other state, even if those states' permit 
requirements are lax in comparison. This is unjust and ultimately 
dangerous, especially for communities faced with high crime rates.
  The sobering statistics from the U.S. Census report speak volumes: of 
the 129,741 murders that were reported between 2000 and 2008, nearly 
two-thirds of the victims were killed by a firearm. Equally frightening 
is the deadly role firearms play in domestic violence incidents. 
According to the American Journal of Public Health, abused women are 
five times more likely to be killed by their abuser if the abuser owns 
a firearm. Research also shows that between 1990 and 2005, firearms 
were used to kill more than two-thirds of spouse and ex-spouse homicide 
victims. These numbers are tragic. Instead of empowering our local law 
enforcement officers to prevent such heinous acts, H.R. 822 ties their 
hands by making it harder to determine whether someone carrying a gun 
is doing so illegally. I oppose this legislation in order to preserve 
the safety of our communities and prevent the gun violence that has 
claimed hundreds of innocent lives.

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