GOP’s Barry Loudermilk Clarifies Position: Reciprocity for the Common Man Is Priority

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) wants bills for congressional carry to be added to the national reciprocity legislation for the common man.

He said he does not intend to press for carry privileges apart from an expansion of the common man’s ability to exercise his Second Amendment rights as well.

On June 14, the very day of the Alexandria attack, Breitbart News reported that Loudermilk was pushing for national reciprocity for members of Congress. Speaking live on Armed American Radio, Loudermilk confirmed that this is true but clarified his position by making clear that congressional carry is to be added to Rep. Richard Hudson’s (R-NC) overarching national reciprocity legislation, HR 38. That legislation was introduced on January 3, and it makes the concealed carry permit from any one state valid in the other 49.

Loudermilk told Armed American Radio, “HR. 38 has a potential void in it. And I’ve been a co-sponsor of HR 38, statewide reciprocity. … The problem is that DC’s not a state. And the statewide reciprocity bill would give reciprocity to all the states that allow concealed carry. But DC would be excluded from that.”

He went on to explain that his constituents in Georgia have reciprocity with Virginia but that reciprocity is no good for congressmen who live in DC. They have to leave home every morning without a gun because the lack of reciprocity with DC forces them to forgo being armed for self-defense.

Loudermilk said he believes the solution to both issues—concealed carry for Congress and reciprocity for the common man—is to add Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) legislation HR 38, thereby forcing DC to recognize the concealed carry permits of every state.

On June 15, Breitbart News reported that Rep. Massie had introduced legislation that will require DC to recognize the carry permit of every state. This would allow Congressmen with concealed carry permits to keep a gun with them for self-defense as they enter and exit Washington DC and it would allow the common man with a permit to keep his gun with him for self-defense in DC as well.

Loudermilk is also a co-sponsor of Massie’s bill.

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.