Free Republic

Rep. Richard Hudson (R) introduced national reciprocity for concealed carry in the 118th Congress on Monday night.The legislation, H.R. 38–also known as the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act–has a bipartisan group of 118 co-sponsors.H.R. 38 would make the concealed carry permit of any one state valid in the other 49, just like a driver’s license.Hudson commented on the legislation, saying:H.R. 38 guarantees the Second Amendment does not disappear when crossing an invisible state line….[It] protects law-abiding citizens’ rights to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits. I am especially proud to...

Gun rights activists spent record amounts last year to elect Republicans — but aren’t likely to get their biggest wish, nationwide concealed carry legislation, approved before the 2018 elections. Activists are blaming the Republicans they help put in power — as well as Democrats — for the lack of action on the gun lobby’s number one legislative priority. “The gun rights community does not appreciate the fact that reciprocity languished for so long, and then following two tragic shootings, it seems the first initial response from some in the GOP was, ‘We need additional gun control,’ aka the NICS fix,”...

Following the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise at the hands of a deranged liberal terrorist, Rep. Thomas Massie introduced a bill for national reciprocity. This bill would make it so concealed carry license would be treated like marriage licenses or drivers licenses; a permit in one state would be recognized in every other state.The bill, however, has stalled, and Massie points the finger for this squarely at Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. – Bearing Arms Second Amendment rights, long considered the Republicans purview, are being kicked down the road by Paul Ryan. As Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit wondered outloud:...

In stumping against increased acceptance of concealed carry permits nationwide, gun control advocates tapped in George Zimmerman’s CWL and a $20 BB gun. (Photo: Everytown) Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety over the weekend began running a meme showing a Florida state concealed weapon license purportedly owned by George Zimmerman layered over a person with a Marksman air pistol shoved haphazardly into the waistband of their jeans. “Some states have low or no standards for who can carry a concealed weapon in public,” says the text over the ad. “The NRA’s latest pet policy would make the weakest...

National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch has seen Anthony Scaramucci‘s previous comments about guns, and it would seem she’s not very impressed.Shortly after Scaramucci was confirmed as the new White house Communications Director, he went on a Twitter-deletion spree where he erased some of the critical comments he previously made about President Trump. Scaramucci said he was doing this out of “full transparency,” though he also deleted other tweets where he contradicted Trump and mainstream conservatives when it comes to topics like climate change and abortion. On Saturday, the day after he became Trump’s communications director, he announced on Twitter...

A coalition of police chiefs with a history of supporting gun control initiatives are taking aim at national concealed carry legislation, saying it could “sow chaos.” The National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence, composed of an alliance of various police chief lobbying groups, on Friday penned a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to decline support for a pair of national concealed carry reciprocity bills. The measures, the H.R. 38 and S.446, respectively, would expand carry rights nationwide, in effect forcing states and local jurisdictions to respect all valid concealed carry permits, a move the group feels is a...

On June 14, an attacker with leftist affiliations opened fire on Republican congressional members, some of whom afterward expressed that they wished they had been armed when the shooting started. In fact, one Congressman who was not present—Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y.—indicated that images of the attack and reports of colleagues who were wounded have convinced him to carry a gun on his person going forward. He told WKBW, “If you look at the vulnerability, I assure you: I have a carry permit. I will be carrying when I’m out and about.” He continued: “On a rare occasion, I’d have...

Image from newgeography.com In an opinion piece at the Los Angeles Times, the Times writes that national reciprocity for concealed carry permits would be bad.  The editorial is from the editorial board, so it reflects the Times official policy desires.  The problem is that the Times cannot come up with any good reason for their opinion, other than the big bad federal government should not force poor little California to do something the California government (largely controlled by the LA Times and other "progressive" media") does not want them to do. In this case, that something is to respect...

This extreme legislation, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, would obliterate state and local eligibility rules for concealed weapons and the state’s discretion to decide whether to honor another’s permits. At least 36 states now set a minimum age of 21 for carrying concealed guns, and 35 states require some sort of gun-safety training. Thirty-eight states prohibit people convicted of certain violent crimes like misdemeanor assault or sex crimes from carrying concealed weapons. The act would override those rules, requiring states with tight restrictions, like New York and California, to allow people with permits from states with lax laws...

That would mean that a permit from Utah, a state with notably lax standards for concealed-carry permits, as well as permits from every other gun-toting state, would be valid in Massachusetts. Under the latest version of the bill, people with out-of-state permits would be allowed to carry guns on Massachusetts streets even if state laws would otherwise make it illegal for them even to possess a firearm.