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Carrying a concealed weapon across state lines could get much easier if Congress has its way

December 6, 2017

WASHINGTON — The House voted Wednesday mostly along party lines to expand the right to carry concealed weapons, passing the National Rifle Association’s top legislative priority on the same day as a national vigil commemorating the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would require each state to recognize concealed carry permits from every other state — as they would a driver’s license — regardless of different permitting standards. Residents of states that don't require permits to carry a concealed weapon would be able to carry their weapons in other states that allow concealed carry, as long as they abide by local laws.

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, voted in favor of the measure.

“'Shall not be infringed,’ was not intended by the drafters of our Constitution and Bill of Rights to be a suggestion," Higgins said in a statement Wednesday. "Every American that can legally possess and own a weapon, and carry in whatever manner, should have that protection in every state across the nation. The fundamental and Constitutional right to bear arms should not end at state lines. This is common sense legislation, and I’m proud to serve as a cosponsor. I will always vote to defend and uphold Second Amendment rights for all Americans.”

The bill passed 231 to 198 with just a handful of Democrats voting in favor. It will likely have a tougher time in the Senate, where it would need Democratic votes to pass.

The NRA says the bill would eliminate a confusing patchwork of state concealed-carry laws and reciprocity agreements that can cause a law-abiding gun owner to unwittingly break the law while traveling out of state. During a House floor speech, Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., pointed to the case of a Pennsylvania woman who was arrested in New Jersey in 2013 after a traffic stop because she didn’t realize the state wouldn’t recognize her permit. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pardoned her two years later.

“This poor single mother, who's never had a brush with the law, spent almost 50 days in jail and was looking at 10 years in prison,” Hudson said. “Are you serious? We have to make sure that never happens again.”

Republicans said the bill will make people safer, highlighting instances in which armed citizens thwarted attackers.

“We know citizens who carry a concealed firearm are not only better prepared to act in their own self-defense but also in the defense of others,” said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Gun-control advocates say forcing states with strong permitting standards to honor permits from those with weaker ones will endanger public safety and make it harder for police to enforce gun laws. While every state and the District of Columbia allows the carrying of concealed weapons in some form, 38 states generally require a state-issued permit to carry in public and the remaining 12 generally allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public without a permit, according to Giffords Law Center. States currently determine which states' permits they will honor.