After the commencement of the 119th Congress, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson introduced H.R. 38, known as the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. The legislation aims to provide nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry license holders and residents of Constitutional Carry states.
“Our Second Amendment right does not disappear when we cross invisible state lines, and this commonsense legislation guarantees that,” stated Rep. Hudson. “The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act will protect law-abiding citizens’ rights to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits.”
H.R. 38 would allow individuals with state-issued concealed carry licenses or permits to carry a handgun in any other state and also extends this right to residents of Constitutional Carry states.
Rep. Hudson has previously introduced similar bipartisan legislation, which passed in the House in December 2017 but was not addressed by the Senate. He remains committed to pursuing its passage, supported by President Donald Trump who has expressed willingness to sign such legislation into law.
The bill is backed by prominent pro-Second Amendment groups including NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), Gun Owners of America (GOA), U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), and National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
John Commerford from NRA-ILA remarked on the importance of ensuring self-defense rights do not end at state lines: “Congress should now ensure that the right to self-defense does not end at a state line.”
Aidan Johnston from GOA highlighted that with all states issuing concealed carry permits and many allowing nonresident or permitless carry, it makes sense for Congress to validate each state’s licenses nationally.
Tim Schmidt from USCCA emphasized the importance of protecting gun owners’ rights across geographical boundaries: “Our Constitutional rights do not end at state lines.”
Lawrence Keane from NSSF noted that the act simplifies laws surrounding concealed carry permits while safeguarding both individual rights and states’ legislative powers.
