Mayors against Thune amendment
Posted: Monday, July 20, 2009 3:23 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Congress, Pete Williams
From NBC’s Pete Williams
A group representing more than 400 U.S. mayors is urging Congress to defeat a measure -- one that could come to a vote today in the U.S. Senate -- that would require states granting concealed weapons permits to honor permits issued by any other state.
Whether concealed weapons laws reduce crime is a hotly contested issue, but Sen. John Thune, the South Dakota Republican who proposed the measure, says the laws are effective.
"Since criminals are unable to tell who is and who is not carrying a firearm just by looking at a potential victim,” he said, “they are less likely to commit crimes when they fear that they may come in direct contact with an individual who is armed.”
He added, "Minorities and women tend to be the ones with the most to gain from being allowed to protect themselves.”
All states but two, Illinois and Wisconsin, grant licenses to carry concealed weapons, but the standards vary greatly. Some states, for example, require applicants to take gun safety programs and pass written tests. Others refuse permits to anyone with misdemeanor gun convictions.
Nine states have already chosen to honor permits issued elsewhere. The Thune measure would require the same of the remaining concealed carry states. Supporters say it would also require concealed carry states to recognize the rights of Alaska and Vermont residents, whose states do not require a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon.
Opponents of the idea say it would reduce all states to the lowest common denominator, since a permit granted by a relatively permissive state would have to be honored in states with more restrictive rules.
In a letter signed today, New York's Michael Bloomberg, Boston's Thomas Menino, and hundreds of other mayors urge Congress to defeat the measure, now scheduled to come to the Senate floor as an amendment to a defense-spending bill. They claim it could make it much harder for police to determine who's legally carrying guns.
"Ambiguity as to the legality of firearm possession could lead to confusion among police officers that could result in catastrophic incidences,” the mayors write. “Congress should be working to make the job of a police officer more safe, not less.”
The Mayors Against Illegal Guns Action Fund is also running print ads against the amendment. In Virginia, for example, it is running one in the Richmond Times-Dispatch today featuring families of Virginia Tech victims and survivors.
