Reacting to Concealed Carry Bill, Dem. Suggests Revoking Capitol Gun Ban
OutdoorHub Reporters 12.06.17
The District of Columbia’s nonvoting representative, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (a Democrat,) has stated that Republicans should revoke a law prohibiting guns in the Capitol if they want to move forward with a concealed carry reciprocity bill.
According to The Hill, a package of gun legislation is currently under the microscope, as The House considers a measure to allow those with permits for concealed carry to do so in any state that allows it.
Norton requested a change to the legislation that would prohibit the measure from taking effect until the law prohibiting guns in the Capitol complex is extinguished.
“I filed my amendment simply to point out the hypocrisy of overriding local laws enacted throughout the United States after assessing local views of risk, while Congress insulates itself by banning guns from the entire Capitol complex,” Holmes Norton reportedly stated.
Currently, anyone seeking to enter the Capitol or its surrounding office buildings must go through security headed by Capitol Police. At that point, they will check for prohibited items such as guns and other weapons.
Democrats have been widely outspoken in their opposition of the concealed carry reciprocity bill. They are however, strongly pushing for another piece of legislation that includes measures to strengthen the current background check system.
The Fix NICS Act, which is authored by Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas,) would see that authorities report criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and penalize agencies that don’t report records to the FBI.
We will continue to monitor this story, and update you on any details as soon as we hear more.
