Full House vote on federal carry bill imminent
by Joseph P. Tartaro
The full House of Representatives was expected to vote on HR-822, the bi-partisan national right-to-carry bill, on Nov. 15, the day after this issue of Gun Week went to press.
HR-822, captioned as the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011,” is considered by most national, grassroots and industry organizations as legislation that would help protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners and enable over 6 million concealed carry license holders to exercise their right to self-defense while traveling outside their home states.
A few gun rights groups have expressed concerns about the measure, but are not actually opposing the legislation that cosponsor Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) has introduced and re-introduced in every recent session of Congress.
Each year, as more and more states adopted right-to-carry legislation, the need for such legislation has become more important. The patchwork of reciprocity agreements and other legal instruments to allow people licensed in one state to travel to others has not been the most satisfactory arrangement.
HR-822, if passed, would extend the reciprocity concept to all states that allow concealed carry of firearms for defense and sport. Currently, only Illinois does not have a concealed carry licensing system or any sort, shall issue or discretionary.
The prospects for a favorable vote in the House are good with some 240 representatives—both Democrats and listed as co-sponsors of the measure.
The prospects for passage in the Senate before the end of the 2011, or even the end of this congressional session, are not as favorable. While there is strong pro-gun sentiment in the Senate, the pressure is on to defeat the bill or poison it with amendments.
Anti-gun organizations like the Brady Campaign and Mayors Against Illegal Guns have been campaigning vigorously to block passage of HR-822. They are aided by many major newspapers and other political figures—governors and state attorneys general—in many states that are usually hostile to concealed carry laws and guns in general.
If the House votes for the measure, even if the Senate rejects or delays passage, the roll call gained from the imminent vote in the lower body of Congress will serve as an important measuring stick. And, of course, there is the question of whether or not Obama would veto the bill.
