On June 20 Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX-36) introduced legislation that will allow Congressional members to “supersede” concealed carry laws and have a gun with them for self-defense “in nearly every conceivable scenario.”
This comes as Americans have been yearning for Congress to take up national reciprocity so that the common man can simply have a gun with him as he crosses state lines. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-8) introduced national reciprocity on January 3, 2016, and the common man has been waiting.
Breitbart News has already highlighted this bill’s strategic flaws in that it would empower politicians while not helping all Americans. In response to that first piece, Babin’s office provided Breitbart News with the following quote from the Congressman:
Rep. Babin is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment who fully supports reciprocity rights for every American. He is a proud cosponsor of Rep. Hudson’s national reciprocity legislation and believes all law abiding American citizens should be able to conceal carry across state lines.
But that quote does not address the fundamental extra protections this bill would seek for members of Congress in addition to what national reciprocity would provide to ordinary Americans.
Babin’s bill, titled “Bill to Enhance Safety and Protection of Members of Congress,” would give Congressional members “the ability to attempt to qualify for a concealed carry permit – either through their home state or a training program created by the United States Capitol Police (USCP).” It would then:
Direct the USCP to grant Members of Congress the ability to concealed carry in nearly every conceivable scenario – including federal parks and buildings, the national mall, to and from their offices, at schools and military bases – with only a few limited restrictions. These would include National Special Security Events, other areas under the direct jurisdiction of the Secret Service and commercial airliners.
So Babin’s bill gives special carry privileges to members of Congress–privileges the common man will never have–but Americans are just yearning to exercise their God-given, constitutional right to bear the arms they keep for the purposes of self-defense. As of now, a citizen with a concealed carry permit from Texas can only carry a gun for self-defense in his home state and scattered states that recognize the Texas permit. The same is true for residents of Utah; they can carry a gun for self-defense in their home state and scattered states that recognize the Utah permit. But residents from Texas or Utah would face criminal charges if they carried a gun for self-defense in California.
National reciprocity would fix this convoluted mess by guaranteeing that a permit from any one state is valid in every other state.
In other words, national reciprocity means the common man with a concealed carry permit can be armed for self-defense even if he drives coast-to-coast in this great land.
Babin’s bill will allow Congressional members to “supersede any other federal or state law regarding concealed carry.” This, too, is something the common man will never get to experience.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.