The Republican omnibus bill includes Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-CT) “Fix NICS” legislation but turns a blind eye to the national reciprocity legislation that was introduced in the Senate over a year ago.
National reciprocity for concealed carry was introduced in the Senate on March 1, 2017, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been mum on it ever since. It was introduced in the House on January 3, 2017, but was not passed until conservatives banded together and overcame Speaker Paul Ryan’s stonewalling on December 6, 2017.
So the common citizen waits, still unable to travel the country and freely carry his or her handgun for self-defense, even if he or she has a concealed carry permit.
But the Republican leadership made sure to include “Fix NICS” in the omnibus bill.
Politco reports that “House conservatives were furious” that “Fix NICS” was included in the omnibus bill. They said they had been told that Sen. Murphy’s bill “would only be considered along a gun-rights friendly measure to honor concealed carry permits across state lines.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), said, “What we were told by our leadership is directly opposite what is happening today.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.