Although national reciprocity legislation was introduced in early January, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are mum on the issue.
Their silence ignores the fact that Trump was elected by voters who had very specific desires, one of which was national reciprocity. Despite this, Ryan and McConnell are offering up no public show of support for concealed carry legislation and have not rallied behind the sponsors of national reciprocity in the House and Senate.
On January 3, 2017, Breitbart News reported that Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) introduced national reciprocity. His bill “would allow people with a state-issued concealed carry license or permit to conceal a handgun in any other state that allows concealed carry, as long as the permit holder follows the laws of that state.” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Both bills perfectly reflect President Trump’s stated desire that a concealed carry permit be treated like a driver’s license.
On September 18, 2015, Breitbart News reported Trump saying:
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.
Moreover, national reciprocity is important because it would literally (immediately) knock down numerous state and local gun controls in places like California, Illinois, and New York. By so doing, national reciprocity would recover freedoms that Democrats took from Americans decades ago.
At this point in time, Republicans not only control the House, Senate, and White House, but also have the benefit of red state Democrats who will have to support pro-gun legislation to solidify their 2018 re-election chances. These red state Democrats give national reciprocity a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, yet McConnell and Ryan are mute on the issue.
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.