Mike Levin: “In recent years, lobbyists for the National Rifle Association, NRA, have been pressing state legislatures around the…”

“In recent years, lobbyists for the National Rifle Association, NRA, have been pressing state legislatures around the country to pass so called ``shall issue'' laws. ``Shall issue'' laws require that licensing authorities shall or must issue concealed weapons permits to those who meet standard eligibility requirements. The state laws take discretion away from local law enforcement agencies, who would ordinarily use their own criteria to determine who should carry a concealed weapon. When such a law was proposed in my home state of Michigan, every major law enforcement organization in the state spoke out against it. Athletes, entertainers, religious leaders and some lawmakers joined them in their public plea to keep concealed firearms off our streets. In the end, although both the State House and Senate passed the ``shall issue'' legislation, lawmakers yielded to public pressure and refused to proceed to a conference committee, thereby rejecting the law. While Michigan's citizens acted quickly to ensure that lawmakers rejected the NRA backed proposal, other state legislatures embraced the law as their own. This week the Los Angeles Times published an extensive report on the effects of the relatively new law that gives Texans the right to carry concealed weapons into public places, including churches, hospitals, nursing homes, and amusement parks.”