MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS INTENSIFY FIGHT AGAINST CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY PROPOSAL CURRENTLY BEFORE CONGRESS

Full Page Ad in Tuesday Edition of USA Today Asks Majority Leader Reid and US Senate to Defeat the Thune Amendment/S.845/H.R.197/H.R.1620

The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns today increased pressure on the US Senate to defeat the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill, known as the Thune Amendment, that is currently before Congress. In today's edition of USA Today, the group of 450 mayors wrote an open letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid and the members of the U.S. Senate to strenuously oppose any attempt to strip cities and states of the right to set minimum standards for carrying concealed weapons. The Thune Amendment requires states to honor concealed weapon carry permits from other states, even if the individual carrying the weapon would otherwise be ineligible to do so. The Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition has long believed that the issue of concealed carry regulation is one best left to cities and states. The policies that legislators and law enforcement officials adopt in rural areas may not be best for urban areas - and vice-versa. This legislation would mean that the state with the most lax conceal-carry requirements would effectively set the policy for the entire nation.

"Under current law in most states, if you have certain misdemeanor convictions, are an alcohol abuser, or haven't completed a gun safety training program, you cannot carry a concealed weapon," said coalition co-chair Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "This bill would effectively erase those rules. We can't destroy the common sense safeguards states across the country have put in place. The Senate must stop this dangerous measure."

"State and local officials on the front lines of public safety have developed concealed weapons policies that make the most sense for their communities," said coalition co-chair Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "Adopting national legislation that undermines local laws and creates a one size fits all policy would not only be counter-productive; it would threaten public safety and needlessly put our police officers and our residents in harm's way."

Joining the Mayors Against Illegal Guns in opposing the Thune Amendment are two eminent law enforcement groups, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Cities and counties represented by Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs in this group include Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Fairfax County, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas Metro, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Louisville, Memphis, Miami-Dade, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Montgomery County, Nashville, Nassau County, New Orleans, New York City, Newark, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Prince George's County, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Suffolk County, Tuscon, Tulsa, Virginia Beach, and Washington D.C.

The text of the letter from Mayors Against Illegal Guns follows:

Dear Majority Leader Reid and the Members of the U.S. Senate:

The Senate is now considering dangerous legislation that would usurp the right of states to set their own minimum standards for distributing permits to those who wish to carry a concealed gun. The Thune Concealed Carry Amendment would require states to recognize permits issued in other states, even if those other states have far weaker laws.

We mayors strenuously oppose any federal attempt to strip cities and states of our right to set minimum standards for carrying concealed guns. Doing so would threaten the safety of our police officers, by making it far more difficult for them to separate law-abiding gun owners from common criminals. And it would make it easier for gun traffickers to sell illegally.

Majority Leader Reid: In your own state, the legislature has adopted sensible and constitutional standards for issuing concealed carry permits, including the required completion of a gun safety course approved by the Nevada Sheriffs' and Chiefs' Association, which consists of a written exam and live-fire training with a certified instructor. Nevada also denies concealed carry permits to habitual alcohol abusers and people convicted of violent misdemeanors.

The Senate's concealed carry Amendment would usurp Nevada law and erase all of its safeguards - as it would for nearly every other state.

Senators: We urge you not to gut your own state's public safety laws. Currently, 35 states deny permits to people convicted of certain misdemeanors; 31 states deny permits to alcohol abusers; and 31 states require applicants to complete gun safety training.

These minimum, common sense standards would effectively be eliminated by the proposed legislation. All concealed carry states would be forced to recognize permits issued by many states with no minimum standards at all.

Today, 450 mayors are asking you to stand with us to protect the public safety laws that your own states have adopted. Doing otherwise would undoubtedly result in the deaths of more innocent Americans.

About the Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Since its inception in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from just 15 mayors to 450 members in over 40 states. Mayors Against Illegal Guns has united the nation's mayors around common goals: finding new way to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws, protecting their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable, demanding access to trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking, and working with legislators to fix gaps, weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns.