Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate’s rejection of an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill which would have allowed gun owners permitted to carry concealed weapons, to bring their firearms to states with regulations against carrying concealed weapons.

“With over 30,000 Americans losing their lives every year to gun violence it is inconceivable we would even consider allowing more guns to cross state lines into regions seeking to stem the tide of gun violence. This would have been a blatant attempt to cripple states like New York who are trying to curb the flow of guns and eliminate gun violence.

“If this had passed, it is possible someone who had been rejected for a gun permit in New York could travel to Vermont and obtain a gun based on much easier requirements. New York requires firearm training and excludes people with drinking problems or criminal records, while Vermont does not even require a permit to carry a concealed weapon. That person could then travel back into New York with a gun and use it legally. That is simply a frightening possibility which has thankfully been prevented.

“If Sen. Thune’s amendment had ever been brought to the House floor, I would have voted against it and urged my colleagues to do the same. For him to publicly say that if a person from South Dakota, with a carry permit, visited Central Park, it would make it a “much safer place” shows his ignorance on the issues facing people in other states. What is good for South Dakotans is not always good for New Yorkers. I say to Sen. Thune that New Yorkers feel a whole lot safer without having to worry about out-of-state people wandering around our cities and towns with concealed handguns.”