by Dave Workman | Senior Editor
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC)
A significant milestone has been reached by the proposed Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, H.R. 38, picking up its 200th supporter in the House of Representatives.
But while the bill seems to have some traction with so many House members, it has been sitting in a House subcommittee since its introduction in mid-January.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), has lately gotten some attention because Congressman Barry Loudermilk, a Georgia Republican, proposed allowing members of Congress who are licensed to carry in their home states to carry while they are in Washington, DC. That was his response to the June 14 shooting of fellow Republican Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, by a hate-inspired liberal activist at a baseball field in Alexandria, VA.
Hudson’s bill would require that states honor the concealed carry permits and licenses issued by other states, same as states now honor other states’ driver’s licenses. The bill spans only two pages, making it one of the simpler pieces of legislation introduced in recent memory.
But many Second Amendment activists think Loudermilk’s proposal seems to place members of Congress in a special class, providing them with protection not available to average citizens.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
Perennial anti-gunners such as Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) are vehemently opposed to the idea, but gun owners may start pushing Congressional Republicans to move this measure, whether House leadership wants to or otherwise.
National reciprocity is just one item on the Republican agenda, but Democrats have been seemingly working overtime to avoid it by introducing one “crisis” after another, with demands for investigations providing plenty of political distraction.
But the shooting of Scalise and three others in mid-June at least brought the issue of personal protection back into the spotlight. Loudermilk’s suggestion that members of Congress be allowed to carry might be considered a proverbial “good first step” by some gun rights activists, but for many others, it hardly goes far enough.
TGM left messages for members of Congress regarding the holdup on H.R. 38, but calls were not immediately returned. The bill has apparently not been scheduled for a hearing by the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations.
The bill says that a person licensed to carry in their home state may carry in any other state that allows concealed carry. Every state has a concealed carry statute, but in some of those states, including New Jersey, Maryland, New York, California and Hawaii, getting a permit is nearly impossible. Politicians from those states like it that way, and are not about to let the reciprocity bill pass without a fight.
