The U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted 18-9 on a party line vote to advance H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, to a full House vote.
The vote came following a lengthy debate during the committee meeting.
Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) told his colleagues, “Our First Amendment rights do not change from one state to another and our Second Amendment rights should not either. Law-abiding citizens should be able to a concealed firearm between states without worrying about conflicting state criminal laws or onerous civil suits.”
He said there are in excess of 22 million concealed carry permit owners throughout the nation. Twenty-nine states have constitutional carry, or permitless carry laws.
“This means,” Jordan continued, “that a state does not require law-abiding citizens to obtain a concealed carry permit or license before carrying a firearm outside their home.”
But Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) contended, “This bill would cause weak laws and have dangerous nationwide repercussions. This bill would almost certainly lead to nationwide increases in violent gun crime.”
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) observed, “Our Second Amendment right does not disappear when we cross invisible state lines, and this commonsense legislation guarantees that. The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act will protect law-abiding citizens’ rights to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits.”
According to CBS News, by midday Wednesday the legislation had 178 co-sponsors, including a single Democrat, Maine Rep. Jared Golden.
Odds of House passage are good, with Republicans holding a slim 218-213 majority over Democrats. If the bill is approved and moves to the Senate, Republicans still have the majority, 53-45.
When similar legislation was approved by the House during the first Trump administration, it stalled in the Senate, where Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell was then the majority leader. Nowadays, McConnell is out and Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is now the majority leader. This could make a significant difference.
President Donald Trump has already vowed to sign the reciprocity bill if it reaches his desk. Gun owners and concealed carry activists are hopeful the bill advances, and that the president keeps his promise.
In addition to Raskin, other Democrats spoke against the bill, insisting that it will lead to increased violent crime, and force states with restrictive carry laws to honor weaker laws in other states when their residents travel.
Rep. Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ) reminded his colleagues that criminals already carry across state lines, without any permit, and that it is criminals, not law-abiding licensed concealed carriers who cause problems and break laws. He said legally-armed private citizens are far less likely to commit a crime than average Americans.
Mentioned several times was the fact that currently 29 states have permitless “constitutional” carry laws under which no permit is required for the peaceable carry of a defensive sidearm. That number may climb to 30 if lawmakers in North Carolina pass legislation currently under consideration.
Several gun rights organizations support the measure including the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, which went on national television in January with an advertisement on several cable networks urging the public to support the measure by signing a petition to Congress.
