Supporters of the Second Amendment breathed a massive sigh of relief on Wednesday morning when news of a Hillary defeat shifted from pipe-dream to political certainty. And when the House and Senate were secured, too, that relief became optimism.
Those who support the Second Amendment have spent years defending gun rights, and now it seems like they may be able to go on the offensive to shore them up. And one of the first issues will be national concealed carry reciprocity.
For those who don’t carry concealed handguns and/or don’t pay attention to firearms policy, I’ll summarize. Every state in the union has their own policies governing who can and cannot carry a concealed firearm. Some require a permit. Some permits requires class-work, while others don’t. Some states have proficiency tests as part of the permit process, others allow you to get a permit on-line.
Yet this is only part of the headache. Some states recognize other states’ permits (typically based on the requirements for obtaining the permits), while others don’t. Many law abiding gun owners check databases before traveling, just to make sure they can carry where they plan to travel. Those who travel frequently will often apply for out-of-state permits in order to allow them to cross state lines without violating laws.
In short, these regulations are overly cumbersome. Many travelers (especially those who travel by car) find themselves in states where they can’t legally carry–however briefly–forcing them to find safe, secure storage in their vehicles (and sometimes that’s illegal, too).
Trump’s view on the matter is a welcome change. He feel like “concealed carry…is a right, not a privilege.”
“The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.”
HR 923 is a national reciprocity bill from Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Representative Marlin Stutzman (R-IN-3rd).
