Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) Today introduced a bill that would require states to recognize each others gun carry permits.
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 would address the haphazard nature of U.S. gun carry laws. As it stands now, each state decides which other states’ gun carry permits it will recognize. Some states recognize all other states’ permits, other states recognize no other states’ permits, and many fall somewhere in between. Gun rights advocates have long complained that the confusing web of local laws can easily result in one wrong turn or missed exit and end in an otherwise law abiding gun owner unintentionally committing a felony.
“Our Second Amendment right doesn’t disappear when we cross state lines, and this legislation guarantees that,” Hudson said in a statement. “The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 is a common sense solution to a problem too many Americans face. It will provide law-abiding citizens the right to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits.”
Hudson’s bill would require states to recognize the validity of every other state’s gun carry licenses, but it would require concealed carriers to follow the specific laws of whatever state in which they are carrying. The bill would also allow concealed carry in the National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and on Bureau of Land Management land.
The bill comes directly on the heels of several Republican congressmen forming the 2nd Amendment Caucus with the purpose of forwarding gun rights legislation at a time when gun rights activists are extremely optimistic about their chances in the new Congress and under thew administration.
