Thank you to everyone who has taken action on our support FIX NICS Act and oppose Concealed Carry Reciprocity (CCR) Act action alert. In a strategic move to pass CCR, the House Rules Committee is going to combine both bills into one for a single vote. While we unequivocally support the Fix NICS Act (now H.R. 4477), we are vehemently opposed to the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38). We are hearing that the Senate plans to keep the bills separate, which we support.

While the Fix NICS Act of 2017, H.R.4434, would protect victims of domestic violence by ensuring domestic violence records are properly and expeditiously submitted to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would undermine the safety of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking by destabilizing protections for victims of abuse and allowing domestic violence offenders to follow their victims across state lines with loaded, concealed firearms. 

These two bills cannot be supported as a package. The CCR Act threatens to erase any progress that could be made by the Fix NICS Act!

Please contact your House Representatives to explain they cannot support the combined package.

Sample Tweet: @[Legislator’s Twitter handle] Fed-mandated concealed carry reciprocity harms victims of DV & endangers law enforcement. Vote NO on the gun package that includes HR38. #NoCCR #NoGuns4Abusers

Phone script: “My name is [your name], I am from [city and organization, if applicable].  I am a constituent, and I oppose H.R. 38, Representative Hudson’s bill that imposes federally-mandated concealed carry reciprocity on my state.  H.R.38 makes it harder for law enforcement to protect victims of domestic violence, puts victims of domestic violence and law enforcement officers at risk of gun violence, is a violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of states’ rights, and makes our communities less safe.  House leadership has decided to bundle the Fix NICS Act (H.R. 4477) with H.R.38. Although I support Fix NICS Act, I adamantly oppose any gun package that includes concealed carry, and I very strongly urge Representative [your Representative’s name] to vote against the package. H.R. 38 threatens to erase any progress that would be made by the Fix NICS Act, and threatens victims of domestic violence and their communities around the country.

Background on Concealed Carry Reciprocity

• Currently, every state has its own concealed carry permitting requirements. Some states’ firearms laws are more protective of victims of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, while other states provide almost no firearms protections for survivors.
• H.R. 38 would force every state to accept other states’ concealed carry permits, even if the out-of-state concealed carry permit was issued to a domestic violence offender who would be prohibited from obtaining such a permit in the travel state.
• Survivors often relocate to other states to escape their abusers, sometimes seeking refuge in states that have stronger firearms protections.
• Twelve states currently have no requirement that an individual must apply for and obtain a state permit to carry concealed firearms. Anyone in these states, regardless of prior acts of violence, can just pick up a gun, conceal it in their clothing, and go anywhere they want in the state. This could be the standard for the whole country if Congress passes these bills.
• H.R. 38 would make it easy for domestic violence offenders who are ineligible for a permit in their states of residence to “shop” for states with weak concealed carry permit laws and to avoid being turned down for a concealed carry permit in a state that is more protective of survivors.