Crossing a State Line Shouldn’t Cost You Your Right to Self-Defense

RealClear Politics ^ | 4 Jul, 2026 | Sign In | SUBSCRIBE RCP+ PollsElection 2026/2028VideoWritersMore John R. Lott Jr. John R. Lott Jr

[MtnClimber]

Imagine a woman driving across state lines alone at night, fearful that her car might break down and leave her vulnerable. Or picture a truck driver hauling valuable cargo across the country. In states such as California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon – five of the ten states that refuse to recognize concealed handgun permits from other states – these travelers can find themselves defenseless. Nine states also either deny non-residents permits altogether or make them extremely difficult to obtain.

Last week, President Trump again called for passage of national concealed carry reciprocity. The legislation would allow anyone legally permitted to carry a concealed handgun in their home state to carry across state lines, much as Americans use their driver’s licenses nationwide. The legislation would affect millions of law-abiding Americans.

Much of the gun-control debate centers on hypothetical risks. With reciprocity, however, we don’t have to speculate. With 21.5 million concealed handgun permit holders in the United States, we already know how they behave. In addition, most Americans already benefit from reciprocity. The average state recognizes permits from 30 other states, allowing permit holders to travel legally with their firearms.

Last year, when House Judiciary Committee passed national reciprocity along party lines, Democrats also opposed legislation that would allow current and retired law enforcement officers with at least ten years of service to carry firearms in facilities open to the public – including schools – while traveling across the country. Given their fear that allowing experienced current or retired law enforcement officers to carry would endanger public safety, it comes as no surprise that they also oppose allowing civilians to carry across state lines.

Congressional opponents of reciprocity warned that permit holders would commit crimes but cited no evidence to support that claim. The facts point in the

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TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: banglist; concealedcarry; cprc; guncontrol; johnlott

[PROCON]

My concealed carry permit is my Idaho Driver’s license.

Not in your neighbor Washington state, it ain't.

Come July 1, 2027 in order to get or renew your Washington state CPL you'll need to take a class which includes live-fire given by the state patrol.

My CPL expires in 2029 and I have no intention of renewing it with the BS I'd have to put up with.

Even though national reciprocity would be a good start it wouldn't save me from the state imposed infringements on my 2nd amendment rights.

I almost moved to Emmett, ID but I'm too old, all my doctors are here.

[PROCON]

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[EC Washington]

Illinois comes down very hard on out of state concealed carry permits - my cousin [Indiana permit] was fined $10,000 - lost his gun and had to go to court just for having a handgun at his worksite in a bad neighborhood. He was lucky he found a good lawyer to defend him. Still paying legal fees.

[Amendment10]

Thank you for referencing that article MtnClimber.

Crossing a State Line Shouldn’t Cost You Your Right to Self-Defense

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Thanks to mainstream media-zombified, post-17th Amendment ratification voters, career federal lawmakers are probably in the following unhappy situation regarding 2nd amendment (2A) protections. Pro-2A lawmakers are probably not willing to risk losing the next election as a consequence of loose cannon voter response for doing their 14th Amendment duty to make politically sensitive laws that strengthen 2A protections by smoothing out differences in gun restrictions between pro and anti-2nd amendment states.

In fact, I get the impression that lawmakers are happy if occasional pro-2A judges legislate such laws from the bench.

[italianquaker]

Just imagine if we had a republican senate ,house and president

[ealgeone]

That would have been good to have included.

[JohnRLott]

The obvious problem as the piece discusses is that even with a Republican controlled Senate you need 7 Democrat Senators to vote for it and there is not one single Democrat who will support it, right?

[dagunk]

Conservatives believe in the Second Amendment.
Conservatives also believe in Tenth Amendment state’s rights.
Which presents a conundrum.
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No conundrum.
Self-defense is a right protected by the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Tenth Amendment:”The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Second Amendment is a power delegated to the United States.

[dagunk]

One advantage in living close to the center of Texas is that it is a six hour drive in any direction just to leave the state.

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Yeah - Wisdom is speaking there.

I’ve driven I10 a few times, all the way across, on motorcycles. That is an All-Day - Long Day - project; 881 miles. Houston Sucks. Hard.

[Labyrinthos]

Congressional opponents of reciprocity warned that permit holders would commit crimes but cited no evidence to support that claim.

Similar to Voter ID laws: Opponents claim that requiring a government issued ID to vote is racist because minorities lack access IDs, but they fail to cite evidence in support of their claim.

[FreedomPoster]

We had CCW in GA before FL, I’m pretty sure.

[1ScrappyArmyMom]

Be like the Demonrats and ignore the laws, they don’t apply to me.
Better to ask forgiveness.

[MtnClimber]

Florida: 1987 (Shall Issue)

Georgia: 1996 (Shall Issue)

But Vermont was always Constitutional Carry

and Washington: 1961 (Shall Issue) though I don't know if this was followed.

The Gun Zone: When did each state pass concealed carry?

[Bubba_Leroy]

I lived in Houston back in the 1980s, when people still used paper maps. I stopped at a convenience store on the way home one one evening and a man asked for directions to El Paso. He had been driving from Florida since that morning. He didn’t believe me when I told him that he wasn’t half way there yet.

The good news was that the directions were easy. Just get back on IH-10 and keep going west for another 750 miles.

[Robert357]

“...Last year, when House Judiciary Committee passed national reciprocity along party lines, Democrats also opposed legislation that would allow current and retired law enforcement officers with at least ten years of service to carry firearms in facilities open to the public – including schools – while traveling across the country. Given their fear that allowing experienced current or retired law enforcement officers to carry would endanger public safety, it comes as no surprise that they also oppose allowing civilians to carry across state lines...”

One has to wonder what rational fear Democrats have of an armed public that has been screened to prevent felons, drug users, the mentally unstable, the immature or under-aged, and the domestically violent? And yet these are the same people who trust anyone who wants to vote in federal elections.

[GaryCrow]

States do not have rights, they have powers, people have rights. Nowhere in the tenth amendment does it mention states having rights. This conservative believes in individual rights. The powers of the state should be limited to the minimum necessary to protect liberty.

[smokingfrog]

California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon

Good thing I have no desire to go to any of those places.

[dagunk]

Stationed in Germany.

German acquaintance asked me if he could see the Statue of Liberty and drive out to the Grand Canyon that day.

A little quick in my head math - roughly 2500 miles times 1.6 kilometers gives about 4000 kilometers. The look on his face was priceless. Proceeded to educate him over a few beers. He wasn’t stupid; fairly smart actually. But a map of Germany covers one page; a map of the US covers one page. Nobody looks at that little scale in the corner. I knew better, had few Phoenix-East Coast runs under my belt on motorcycles from military transfers. Oh yeah - It’s a four-day run.

If you’re doing I-10, one day is Texas (grin). It was February.

I believe most Europeans have no idea of the scale of this place. A lot of them are finding out with their World Cup travels.

[Texas resident]

I am an American citizen and will defend my life against the feral humans that the dimrats have unleashed on us.
When the SHTF, who cares about reciprocity.

[trebb]

Screw reciprocity - I had an “enhanced” (allowed me to carry in places that others couldn’t - like churches/schools, etc.) permit in MS, but stopped renewing it when we went full constitutional open/concealed carry - because a few of the states I have reason to go to didn’t recognize my permit. Now, I have to be “sneaky” when traveling....the world is becoming a more dangerous place and I’ll be damned if I’m going to render myself, and my wife, helpless when we travel by car.
If businesses want to keep weapons out, they can post their signs, but no State should be allowed to handcuff us and make us easy prey for the criminals they cater to.