The Senate will soon consider two bills that will have a huge impact on survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
S.446 would make it terrifyingly easy for abusers to legally carry concealed firearms into other states when stalking their victims. S.446, the ‘Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017’ would undercut existing state and local protections for victims of domestic and dating violence -- and replace those protections with the weakest gun laws in the country. It’s a race to the bottom. And survivors of domestic violence will be the losers.
“Concealed carry reciprocity (CCR)” is a complicated name for a law that would make it simple for abusers to threaten and harass -- and kill -- their intimate partners with firearms. Survivors often relocate to other states to escape their abusers, but S.446 would force every state to accept other states’ concealed carry permits, even if the out-of-state permit was issued to domestic abusers who would be prohibited from obtaining such a permit in the state in which they are traveling. Contrary to the bill’s title, this is a clear violation of the Constitution’s recognition of states’ rights, and it is dangerous for victims of domestic violence.
In contrast the Fix NICS Act of 2017 (S. 2135) protects victims by improving the entry of domestic violence records into NICS. Victim advocates know all too well that very few domestic violence protection order records and equally few domestic violence misdemeanor records are entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). When these records are not entered into NICS, abusers can easily obtain illegal firearms by erroneously passing a background check. Fix NICS is a very modest, bipartisan, bicameral, noncontroversial bill with support from across the political and idealogical spectrum that helps law enforcement do their job. While much more significant change is needed to protect victims and survivors from abusers with firearms, Fix NICS is a positive first step.
Contact your Senators and urge them to SUPPORT the Fix NICS Act of 2017 (S.2135) and to OPPOSE CCR (S.446).
See below for sample scripts, Tweets, etc. You can find your Senators and their contact information at the top of this page. Their Twitter handles and Facebook pages can be found here.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Rachel Graber at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence or Rob Valente.
Sample Scripts:
Phone script: “My name is [your name], and I am a concerned constituent from [your location and, if applicable, your organization]. I oppose S.446, the ironically named ‘Constitutional Concealed Carry Act of 2017’, which imposes federally-mandated concealed carry reciprocity on my state. S.446 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. In contrast, the Fix NICS Act of 2017, S.2135, will save lives by increasing the submission of domestic violence records to NICS. I urge Senator [Senator’s name] to vote in favor of the Fix NICS Act of 2017 to save lives and against concealed carry reciprocity, which will kill.”
Sample Email:
Dear Senator [Senator’s name],
My name is [your name], and I am a constituent from [your location and, if applicable, organization]. I strongly urge you to oppose S.446, which could have fatal consequences for victims and survivors of domestic violence. S.446, the federally-mandated concealed carry reciprocity bill, would undercut existing state and local protections for victims of domestic and dating violence -- and would replace those protections with the weakest gun laws in the country! Do you want to make it easier for domestic abusers to get guns and to terrorize, stalk, and kill their victims?
S.446 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. This is a clear violation of the Constitution’s recognition of states’ rights, and it is dangerous for victims of domestic violence.
In contrast, the bipartisan, non-contoversial Fix NICS Act of 2017 (S.2135) will save lives by increasing the submission of domestic violence records into NICS and keep illegal firearms out of the hands of abusers. This bipartisan and bicameral bill is supported by the domestic violence community and organizations across the ideological spectrum. For all of these reasons, I urge you to OPPOSE S.446 and SUPPORT the Fix NICS Act of 2017.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Sample Tweet: @[Legislator’s Twitter handle] Federally mandated concealed carry reciprocity harms victims of DV & endangers law enforcement. Fix NICS Act saves lives and protects law enforcement #NoGuns4Abusers #NoS446 #FixNICS #YesS2135
Sample Facebook Post: As a constituent, I ask you to oppose federally-mandated concealed carry reciprocity (S.446) and support the Fix NICS Act of 2017 (S.2135). Concealed carry 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. Fix NICS, in contrast, will protect victims and survivors from abusers with guns by increasing the submission of domestic violence records to NICS.