House Passes Bill Allowing People to Carry Concealed Weapons

The House passed Wednesday a bill allowing people with concealed carry permits to carry guns across state lines, only two months after the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history.

The bill which was passed in a 231-198 vote, was the National Rifle Association’s “highest legislative priority.”

However, the bill’s fate remains uncertain. This week it was linked with legislation aiming to improve the national background-check system for gun purchases, which has received bipartisan support. Democrats said tying the two bills together was “sabotage” on Republican’s behalf. Senate Democrats deemed the combination bill a non-starter. Those advocating for the bill claimed gun owners can now exercise their rights, while opponents said it will put public safety in danger, as well as imperil a state’s right to determine who is allowed to carry a concealed weapon.

“This vote marks a watershed moment for Second Amendment rights,” Chris W. Cox of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action said. He said the bill was the “culmination of a 30-year movement recognizing the right of all law-abiding Americans to defend themselves, and their loved ones, including when they cross state lines.”

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Richard Hudson made a similar statement, saying “Christmas came early for the overwhelming majority of Americans who support concealed carry reciprocity.”

On the other hand, Democrat Gabrielle Giffords who was a victim of gun violence said “Congress has failed the American people,” adding that the bill would only make the country less safe.

“I’m angry that with shootings on the rise, the response from politicians is to sell out to the gun lobby and weaken our public safety laws…I’m angry that when this country is begging for courage from our leaders, they are responding with cowardice,” she said.

The bill would allow any person with a concealed carry permit and a photo identification to carry a concealed weapon in any state allowing them. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose state has some of the nation’s strictest gun laws said people’s lives would now be put under risk, The Washington Post reports.

“This lowest-common-denominator approach would undermine states’ basic responsibility to protect our communities — including by determining who may carry a concealed, loaded gun within our borders.”