Bills introduced in both the House and the Senate would clear up confusion about American citizens’ legal right to carry a concealed firearm throughout the U.S.
Currently, concealed carry permits are handled differently in every U.S. state, creating confusion for Americans traveling with their self defense firearms.
Because of the confusing legal landscape, many Americans have found themselves in serious trouble with authorities for mistakenly believing their home state’s concealed carry permit would legally allow them to carry in states with more restrictive firearm regulations.
Concealed carry bills introduced in the House, Rep. Richard Hudson’s (R-NC) Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, and Senate, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, would change that.
Both bills would require states to honor outside concealed carry permits, protecting the right of law abiding Americans to concealed carry self-defense firearms across state lines without fear of politically motivated prosecution.
Critics of the legislative efforts argue the bills set a national “lowest common denominator” regulation for concealed carry.
A Bloomberg editorial groaned: “Every state would be required to honor concealed-carry permits issued by any other state, no matter how shabby (Hello, Florida!) or nonexistent (11 states require no permit) its process is.”
But the National Rifle Association, which is backing the bills, says detractors have no argument for safety but simply complaints that harsh unconstitutional gun laws will be overridden in some cases.
Via the organization:

It’s easy to see what the real source of opposition is. The same states that severely restrict carry by their own residents also refuse to recognize non-resident permits. These include California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
It’s not that the permitting standards of these states are any more effective in screening out dangerous applicants. It’s that concealed carry permits in those states are treated as the exclusive domain of the wealthy and the connected. The idea that “common” people would have the same rights simply offends the ruling elite’s sense of entitlement.

If you’re interested in passing national concealed carry laws, contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to back the proposed legislation.