Introduced into the house in January of this year the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 would allow those who legally can carry a concealed weapon be allowed to transport it into and possess a gun in a state that allows concealed carry even if they don’t possess that state’s concealed carry permit.
The law also will allow for those who can lawfully possess a weapon in another state to be able to possess or carry their weapon on federally owned land or in a school zone. So if you are able to lawfully conceal carry in your home state, you will be subject to the same rights as other concealed carriers in the state to which you are traveling or traveling through.
The Reciprocity Act will require individuals to be eligible to transport or possess the weapon under federal law, have proper photo identification, and have a permit to carry or be eligible to carry in the other state. The act was steadily gaining traction throughout the year and into early fall with over 212 cosponsors, and along with the SHARE Act was expected to continue to progress through Congress despite efforts from anti-gun lobbying groups who had begun campaigns to defeat the bill.
With the number of individuals exercising their rights to concealed carry increasing, the need for reciprocity is even higher than ever. Without it, traveling through other states with your legally-owned gun is out of reach for many of the law-abiding citizens who are participating in their 2nd amendment rights.
The 16.3 million Americans who have concealed carry permits and use them for traveling to protect themselves and their loved ones could become an unintentional criminal if they were to be caught in possession of their legally owned firearm in states that don’t recognize their right to carry since they come from a different state. The growing number of Americans choosing to concealed carry and the lack of notification of various gun laws state by state makes those who wish to travel with their firearm nervous to do so.
On the heels of the Las Vegas incident and the call of anti-gun politicians to ban bump stocks, the NRA urged Congress to have the ATF investigate regulations on bump stocks which were made legal by the Obama administration in 2010. During the original approval, the ATF said that there was no need to regulate the bump stocks when they were approved because they were an accessory to firearms and not a means to convert them to an automatic weapon.
The NRA’s urging to put the matter before the ATF was to help end the political gun control issue that the bump stock legislation has sparked on Capitol Hill and put it in the hands of the regulators who are responsible for such actions. They hope that by removing this from the hands of Congress they will again be able to focus on passing the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act which has been languishing since the beginning of the year.
The NRA feels that the new debate over bump stock banning has taken over the congressional agenda and is allowing anti-gun activists and politicians a way to push their agenda back into the American mainstream. Additionally, they may be cause other gun legislation that is important to the American citizens who exercise their constitutionally protected right to bear arms to be sidelined indefinitely.
In a statement, the NRA spokesman was quoted as saying, “In an increasingly dangerous world, the NRA remains focused on our mission: strengthening Americans’ Second Amendment freedom to defend themselves, their families and their communities. To that end, on behalf of our five million members across the country, we urge Congress to pass National Right-to-Carry reciprocity, which will allow law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and their families from acts of violence.”
Both the NRA and pro-gun citizens of America are pushing for the regulators with the know-how and information to make decisions on regulations involving legal firearms and accessories, and the politicians to focus on legislation that has been brought to them by the pleas of the American public for whom they are supposed to be their voice in government.
~ American Gun News
