What's Happening in Congress Right Now

On WEDNESDAY, November 29th, the House Judiciary Committee will mark up two bills that will have a huge impact on survivors of domestic violence and stalking.

The first bill, H.R. 38, would make it terrifyingly easy for abusers to legally carry concealed firearms into other states when stalking their victims. H.R. 38, Representative Hudson's (R-NC-08) '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 H.R. 38 would force every state to accept other states' concealed carry permits, even if the out-of-state permit was issued to a domestic abusers 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.

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. For the first time in more than a decade, Congress is considering a bipartisan, bicameral bill called the Fix NICS Act of 2017 (H.R.4434 and S. 2135) that would dramatically improve the entry of domestic violence records into NICS. The House Judiciary Committee will marking up the Fix NICS Act on Wednesday.

What You Can Do About It

Contact House Judiciary members and ask them to vote NO on H.R.38 and YES on the Fix NICS Act!  

Use our sample scripts below!

Key House Judiciary members:

• Chairman Robert Goodlatte (R-VA) - (202)225-5431; @RepGoodlatte

• Acting Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-NY) - (202)225-5635; @RepJerryNadler

• Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC) - (202)225-6030; @TgowdySC

• Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) - (202)225-5101; @JimPressOffice

• Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) - (202)225-3816; @JacksonLeeTX18

• Representative Ted Poe (R-TX) - (202)225-6565; @JudgeTedPoe

• Representative Tom Marino (R-PA) - (202)225-3731; @RepTomMarino

• Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) - (202)225-3106; @PramilaJayapal

• Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) - (202)225-2901; @RepMarthaRoby

• Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) - (202)225-3976; @RepTedLieu

• Representative Raul Labrador (R-ID) - (202)225-6611; @Raul_Labrador

• Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) - (202)225-5341; @RepRaskin

• Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) - (202)225-225-4911

A full list of House Judiciary Committee members can be found here.  If you have time, contact them all!!!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Rachel Graber at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence or Rob Valente at the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Sample Telephone Script:

"My name is [your name], and I am a concerned American from [your location and, if applicable, your organization; if you are a constituent, identify yourself as such]. I oppose H.R. 38, Representative Hudson's bill that imposes federally-mandated concealed carry reciprocity on my state. H.R.38 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 (H.R.4434) will save lives by increasing the submission of domestic violence records to NICS.  I urge [name of Member of Congress] 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 Representative [Representative's name],

My name is [your name], and I am a constituent from [your location and, if applicable, organization; if you are a constituent, identify yourself as such].  I strongly urge you to oppose H.R.38, which could have fatal consequences for victims and survivors of domestic violence.  H.R. 38,  Representative Hudson's 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?

H.R. 38 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 Fix NICS Act of 2017 (H.R.4434), 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 such disparate organizations as the National Rifle Association, Giffords, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the Brady Campaign.  For all of these reasons, I urge you to OPPOSE H.R.38 and SUPPORT the Fix NICS Act of 2017.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Sample Tweet (280 characters):
@[Legislator's Twitter handle] Fed-mandated concealed carry reciprocity harms victims of DV & endangers law enforcement. Fix NICS Act saves lives and protects law enforcement #NoGuns4Abusers #NoHR38 #FixNICS

Sample Facebook Post:  

As a concerned American [if you are a constituent, identify yourself as such], I ask you to oppose federally-mandated concealed carry reciprocity (H.R.38) and support the Fix NICS Act of 2017 (H.R.4434). 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.