Statement from Attorney General Frosh Regarding the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017
BALTIMORE, MD (December 7, 2017) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh issued the following statement regarding H.R. 38 – Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017:
“Passage of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 would be a public safety disaster for our nation. Maryland, like many other states, has common-sense gun laws that put the lives and safety of our citizens and law enforcement first.
Currently, eleven states in the nation grant permits to people who have not undergone safety training. Twenty states allow permits for people convicted of violent crimes. A dozen states do not require any kind of permit or license to carry a concealed firearm. If passed, this bill would reduce safety to the lowest common denominator. Marylanders convicted of violent crimes are not allowed to carry concealed weapons on our streets, but the CCRA would allow violent criminals from other states to do so here.
Recent studies have shown that the adoption of right-to-carry laws doesn’t deter or decrease crime. In fact, the opposite is true. Right-to-carry states are estimated to have 13 to 15% higher rates of violent crime than they would have if no right-to-carry law had been adopted.
Right-to-carry laws also put the lives of law enforcement at risk. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found the rate of police homicide in states with high gun ownership - most of which had right-to-carry laws - was three times as high as the rate of police homicide in low gun ownership states. Presently, law enforcement is unable to confirm that a person carrying a loaded gun has a valid permit from another state because a national database for conceal-carry permits doesn’t exist.
Maryland has enacted common-sense gun safety laws. Congress should not undermine those efforts. It should pass bills that protect lives. It should not put the safety of Americans at risk by pandering to NRA lobbyists.”
BALTIMORE, MD (December 7, 2017) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh issued the following statement regarding H.R. 38 – Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017:
“Passage of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 would be a public safety disaster for our nation. Maryland, like many other states, has common-sense gun laws that put the lives and safety of our citizens and law enforcement first.
Currently, eleven states in the nation grant permits to people who have not undergone safety training. Twenty states allow permits for people convicted of violent crimes. A dozen states do not require any kind of permit or license to carry a concealed firearm. If passed, this bill would reduce safety to the lowest common denominator. Marylanders convicted of violent crimes are not allowed to carry concealed weapons on our streets, but the CCRA would allow violent criminals from other states to do so here.
Recent studies have shown that the adoption of right-to-carry laws doesn’t deter or decrease crime. In fact, the opposite is true. Right-to-carry states are estimated to have 13 to 15% higher rates of violent crime than they would have if no right-to-carry law had been adopted.
Right-to-carry laws also put the lives of law enforcement at risk. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found the rate of police homicide in states with high gun ownership - most of which had right-to-carry laws - was three times as high as the rate of police homicide in low gun ownership states. Presently, law enforcement is unable to confirm that a person carrying a loaded gun has a valid permit from another state because a national database for conceal-carry permits doesn’t exist.
Maryland has enacted common-sense gun safety laws. Congress should not undermine those efforts. It should pass bills that protect lives. It should not put the safety of Americans at risk by pandering to NRA lobbyists.”
Hardly.
