[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19387]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       SUPPORTING CONCEALED CARRY

  (Ms. TENNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 38, the 
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, which passed the House with a 
bipartisan vote a few moments ago.
  As the Representative of a district with a large number of law-
abiding firearm owners, I know many individuals who have concealed 
carry permits use their firearm for personal protection. This 
commonsense measure would also allow qualified law-abiding citizens who 
have obtained concealed carry permits to carry their firearms across 
State lines and in other States.
  Since 1991, the number of concealed carry permits has increased 
dramatically, while the violent crime rates have dropped nearly 51 
percent, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Additionally, 
the fix on the so-called NICS provision of the legislation would add an 
extra layer of accountability to the National Instant Criminal 
Background Check System for individuals who are legally prohibited from 
obtaining a firearm.
  As one of the leading advocates for Second Amendment rights in New 
York State, I was the first to introduce a full repeal of Governor 
Andrew Cuomo's gun-grabbing so-called SAFE Act. I firmly believe that 
our Second Amendment rights are God-given by the Constitution and 
something we need to defend each and every day.

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