Font Resize- Concealed-weapons laws
- Jul 22:
- Senate falls short on expanding concealed-arms laws
Washington » A majority of senators, including Utah's Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, backed an amendment Wednesday that would make it much easier to carry concealed weapons across state lines.
But the group, which included 20 Democrats, fell two votes shy of being able to overcome procedural roadblocks.
Hatch said he was disappointed that the measure didn't pass, but the vote left him optimistic that the pro-gun senators will succeed in the end.
"A bipartisan majority of senators are now on record in supporting this measure," he said. "So, I think the prospects for passing it in the future are pretty good."
Among the supporters were a host of western Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Bennett was also disappointed by the outcome.
"The right to protect oneself should not end at a state border," he said.
The amendment to a defense bill, pushed by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., would have required every state that issues a concealed-weapon permit to honor those from any other state. The result would be that permit holders could carry without worrying about changes in the law in 48 states. Only Wisconsin and Illinois have a ban on concealed weapons.
The opponents argued the amendment would let the state with the weakest concealed carry standards set national law, which in some cases would go against state weapon bans.
As it now stands,
Thune is also sponsoring a stand-alone bill that pushes the idea of permit reciprocity, which Bennett and Hatch are co-sponsoring.
