The NRA is prioritizing its support for the bill this Congress, while the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys will continue its opposition to the plan.
For the sixth Congress in a row, bills to require states to honor out-of-state concealed weapons permits are in both chambers of Congress.
The House Judiciary Committee will mark up its version of the legislation on March 25. President Donald Trump has promised to sign it if it reaches his desk.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) introduced HR 38 in the House on Jan. 3. The Senate version, S 65, introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Jan. 9, is before that chamber’s Judiciary Committee.
Proponents of the reciprocity bills say they require concealed weapons permit holders to comply with all other gun laws in whatever state they are in. For example, if the state prohibits guns in places of worship, he or she couldn’t concealed carry in those places even if their home state allows it.
Opponents of the legislation say that’s not true.
David LaBahn, president and CEO of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, said his organization opposed the legislation when it was introduced in 2017 and that it has not changed its position.
He said the bills, as they are currently written, would require police to know the gun laws in all 50 states and to take the word of out-of-state visitors that whatever state gun permit they present is valid.
The critics contend that states with strict gun laws, like California and New York, would be forced to recognize permits from states with fewer restrictions. According to LaBahn, that means that people from states with less gun control would not be subject to the stricter regulations.
“As long as you’re from an open-carry state, you can open carry any place in the country you choose,” LaBahn told The Epoch Times.
