[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9632-H9633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS

  (Mr. ARRINGTON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, the chief reason the ``American 
experiment'' in liberty and democracy has been so successful is our 
belief in God-given, inalienable rights. One of these fundamental 
freedoms is an individual's right to ``keep and bear arms.''
  While the original intent of the Second Amendment to the Constitution 
was the defense against an abusive, tyrannical government, the central 
principle is to empower Americans to protect themselves, their 
families, and, as we witnessed in the Sutherland Springs shooting, 
their communities.
  Statistics show annual reductions in murder rates as concealed carry 
laws have gone into effect and that violent crime has decreased as gun 
ownership has increased. In fact, according to Gun Owners of America, 
citizens defend

[[Page H9633]]

themselves with lethal force against criminals twice as often as police 
do every year.
  The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which I cosponsored, simply 
allows law-abiding citizens who are licensed to carry a firearm the 
freedom to travel between States, closes gaps and strengthens due 
process regarding our national criminal background check system, and 
maintains the reasonable prohibitions that are in place today, like 
keeping guns out of the hands of convicted felons.
  I urge my colleagues to support it.

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