National reciprocity for concealed carry is expected to be introduced on the House Floor for a vote next week.
Breitbart News reported that the legislation received a markup from the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. That markup indicated committee members were confident national reciprocity had the momentum to reach the House Floor.
The legislation, Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, was introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) on January 3, 2017. It treats concealed carry permits like driver’s licenses, making a permit from one state valid in the other 49. This saves the common man the hassle of navigating the cumbersome patchwork of concealed carry laws that exist in the U.S., making it easier for him to be armed to defend himself and his family should the need arise.
As national reciprocity moved toward markup, Rep. Hudson said:
My bill is a simple, common sense solution to the confusing hodgepodge of concealed carry reciprocity agreements between states. It will affirm that law-abiding citizens who are qualified to carry concealed in one state can also carry in other states that allow residents to do so. I am pleased to see such strong support in committee, and I look forward to continuing this momentum and bringing the bill to the House floor as soon as possible.
Politico reports that Hudson’s bill “is strongly favored by the National Rifle Association but has drawn fierce opposition from gun control advocates who say it effectively nullifies restrictions passed in states that want to limit the practice.” Gun control advocate Gabby Giffords pointed to the Texas church attack as a reason to oppose the concealed carry legislation. She did not mention that the congregation was unarmed and the attacker was stopped by a citizen who retrieved his own gun, ran to church, and shot the attacker.
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