The United States House of Representatives passed the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act” (“Act”) by a vote of 272-154. The Act would require all states which issue concealed carry permits (“CCW”) to recognize CCW permits from all other states. In other words, under the Act, if a citizen of Nebraska has a Nebraska CCW, he or she can travel to California and California would have to allow him or her to carry in California.
The act would not change any existing state CCW laws besides laws relating to CCW permit reciprocity. Citizens from one state traveling to another state would still have to abide by all applicable state laws in the state they are visiting. Thus, under the previous example, hypothetically speaking, if California does not allow citizens to concealed carry in state parks but Nebraska does, a Nebraska citizen visiting California would still not be allowed to carry in a California state park.
Currently, the only states that do not allow concealed carry outside of the home or workplace are Illinois and the District of Columbia.
It is important to note that the Act still needs to pass the Senate and avoid a veto from the President before becoming law. If history serves as a guide, the Act will most likely not pass the Senate as a similar act was voted down in 2009.
Given the number of states that currently issue CCW permits, the Act could carry wide sweeping ramifications both in nationwide firearms and federalism debates. Additionally, it may lead to some states tightening their existing CCW regulations.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
