Dear Mr. Ellison:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about proposals related to state reciprocity with respect to the lawful carrying of concealed firearms. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue.
Currently, states have varying laws and processes to allow certain individuals to carry a concealed firearm. Many states also have reciprocity agreements with other states, allowing a permit from one state to be recognized in another. In 1995, the Pennsylvania General Assembly gave the Attorney General the authority to enter into reciprocity agreements with other states. Pennsylvania currently has formal or informal reciprocity agreements with 27 states.
On April 17, 2013, Senator John Cornyn of Texas proposed Senate Amendment 719 to S. 649, the Safe Schools, Safe Communities Act of 2013. This amendment would allow individuals with a concealed carry permit lawfully issued by a state to carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in any other state that permits the carrying of concealed firearms by its residents. It would not affect the ability of a state to regulate carrying of concealed weapons by its residents within the state. On April 17, 2013, I joined 42 of my colleagues in voting against adopting this amendment, which did not receive the 60 votes required for passage.
On February 27, 2017, Senator Cornyn introduced S. 446, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which, like Senate Amendment 719, would allow individuals with lawful concealed carry permits to carry a handgun in other states that permit concealed carrying. This legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, of which I am not a member.
I am a strong defender of the Second Amendment. Pennsylvania has a rich tradition of hunting and I believe strongly that people should be able have guns for protection, sporting and collection. But like many Americans, in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, I believe we need sensible gun legislation that will help to prevent such tragedies. We owe it to our children to redouble our efforts to do everything in our power to keep them safe. Please be assured that should this issue come before the full Senate for consideration, I will have your views in mind.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
For more information on this or other issues, I encourage you to visit my website, http://casey.senate.gov. I hope you will find this online office a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
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