Law Could Let Criminals Carry Guns Into Times Square, Chuck Schumer Says

NEW YORK CITY — A bill being considered in Congress could heighten the risk of a deadly shooting in New York's tourist hotspots, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said Monday. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 would let licensed gun owners carry concealed weapons into other states with stricter rules, the Senate's Democratic minority leader said.

That would mean anyone from a different state with more lax regulations could bring a gun into Times Square or Penn Station, despite the fact that state law doesn't recognize any concealed-carry permits, Schumer said.

The National Rifle Association urged Congress to pass the bill last week while also calling for federal regulation of bump-fire stocks, the device that may have been used in the Oct. 1 Las Vegas shooting that left 59 people dead.

Watch: Law Could Let Criminals Carry Guns Into Times Square, Chuck Schumer Says

"Just days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, the NRA is engaging their allies in Congress to push through a dangerous national concealed carry reciprocity law, which begs the question: how low can you go?" Schumer said in a statement Monday.

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The House Judiciary Committee could vote on the bill this month, Schumer said.

New York has strict criteria for concealed-carry licenses that other states lack, Schumer's office said. Some 31 states, including New York, don't give such permits to people who "pose a danger to the public" — but some states don't have any permit or background check requirements, according to the pro-gun control organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

The reciprocity bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-North Carolina), would force local authorities to let gun owners from less scrupulous states bring their weapons into New York City, Schumer said.

The bill is co-sponsored by seven Republican New York representatives, including Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island. But Schumer said several law enforcement groups, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major Cities Chiefs Association, oppose it.

The Las Vegas shooting has spurred debate about gun control and a possible ban on bump-fire stocks, which effectively turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic machine guns. Stephen Paddock, the shooter, had some of the accessories in the high-end hotel room from which he fired, the Associated Press reported last week.

Bump-fire stocks are illegal in New York when attached to a weapon, but state lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban the devices themselves.

The NRA, the nation's most powerful pro-gun group, issued a statement Thursday saying it supports regulating bump-fire stocks, but still seeks a reciprocity law to "allow law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and their families from acts of violence."

"What the NRA is fighting for is reciprocity, enforce the existing federal gun laws, protect the American's right to protect themself," CEO Wayne LaPierre told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday.

(Lead image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)