Why National Reciprocity, At A Minimum, Is Needed Here and Now

The violent crime rate has plummeted to such a degree that I suspect entire books will be written about it and the speculation as to why it dropped so quickly. There won’t be agreement on any of it, of course, because some people can’t even consider the possibility that the Bruen decision putting more concealed carry permits on the streets might just have made bad guys rethink their wicked ways.

Especially as more and more states embraced constitutional carry, which means no permit is required at all.

But there’s still an issue. We have a patchwork of laws and a patchwork of reciprocity, where a permit issued in Alabama is good enough for some states, and not for others.

And that’s why national reciprocity, at a minimum, is what we need here and now.

When the Founders approved and the states ratified the Second Amendment to the Constitution, they made the ability own and carry firearms a federally-protected right.

It provides that “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep [to own or possess] and bear [to carry on one’s person] Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Note that the right belongs to “the people” — not to “a well regulated militia.”

Yet the individual states and territories feel entitled to place whatever restrictions they want on this fundamental right, and the results can be chilling.

Six years ago during the age of COVID, interstate truck drivers called for reciprocity on concealed carry permits, citing fears for their personal safety and the vulnerability of their cargo. A right to carry issued by their home state, they reasoned, should be recognized by the other 49.

Responding to concerns like this, North Carolina Republican Congressman Richard Hudson introduced the Concealed Carry Act in 2019, which would have permitted “a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows individuals to carry concealed firearms.”

…

Hudson has repeatedly reintroduced the Concealed Carry Act, making adjustments here and there, but this year Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican and constitutional scholar, took it a step further.

He recognized that the right to carry arms is one that’s protected under the U.S. Constitution, and on that basis he tossed out the idea of state-issues carry permits.

He submits that instead, if a person legally acquires a weapon, it should be legal for him to carry it.

Lee is absolutely correct. That’s why my preference is really for national constitutional carry, which Rep. Thomas Massie has been championing, though not for much longer. Still, national reciprocity is, while a tough sell, easier than just overriding carry permits entirely.

As it stands, there really isn’t any way to carry lawfully in all 50 states. While a mechanism exists on paper to do so, the reality is that states like New York and California created a system where you’re not really going to get an out-of-state permit, especially if you’re simply going to visit the state occasionally. Hawaii, on the other hand, doesn’t recognize non-resident permits and lacks a permitting process for non-residents in any way.

Meanwhile, my driver’s license from Georgia is accepted in all 50 states and every US territory. That’s fascinating to me since we all know that driving is termed as a privilege, not a right. Why is there universal acceptance of a permit for a privilege, but not one for a constitutionally protected right?

Of course, these aren’t new arguments. We’ve been making them for years now, and there’s been absolutely no movement on a national reciprocity bill since it was first introduced.

Now, though, we need to make this happen.

The midterms are coming up in November, and while the redistricting games are making things a bit more up-in-the-air than normal, the truth of the matter is that the president’s party loses seats in midterm elections historically. While the redistricting might change that, I’m not inclined to hold my breath. So, let’s make this happen here and now, while we still have the congressional majorities, and put it into place before the anti-gunners in the Democratic Party have a chance to kill the bill outright.

If not, we’ll probably have to wait at least two years, if not longer, as we wait for a new pro-gun president and the right conditions in Congress.

I’d really rather not.

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun control policies and schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.