A Republican lawmaker and member of President-elect Trump’s Second Amendment Coalition is readying national reciprocity legislation to be introduced to the new Congress in 2017.
Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC-8) released the details of the bill he intends to introduce to the new Congress that would allow the holder of a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun in any state, similar to that of a driver’s license.
“Our Second Amendment right doesn’t disappear when we cross state lines, and I plan to re-introduce legislation in the first days of the 115th Congress to guarantee that,” Hudson wrote in a statement online. “As a member of President-elect Trump’s Second Amendment Coalition, I look forward to working with the administration to advance policies that support and protect our right to keep and bear arms.”
“The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 is a common sense bill to provide law-abiding citizens the right to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits,” he added.
The plan allows the holder of a valid photo ID and concealed handgun permit to carry in any state as long as they are not prohibited from carrying under federal law. They would also be required to follow the state’s laws on concealed carry.
In the past three Congresses, legislation for national reciprocity has failed to gain enough support, but with the incoming administration in the White House, national reciprocity could be a possibility.
During the presidential election, Donald Trump voiced his support for national reciprocity and concealed carry.
He wrote in a position paper last year about his support for the national right to carry.
“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.”
The 115th Congress meets Jan. 3.
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