Two Republican lawmakers are optimistic that they will be able to pass new legislation requiring states to recognize concealed carry permits from other states, an attempt to move the issue forward after years of inaction in Congress.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., are moving forward with a bicameral push to enact a new law on what is called concealed carry reciprocity. Currently, those laws reside at the state level as some, such as Virginia, recognize concealed carry laws from other states and territories. Meanwhile others, such as Washington, D.C., do not. As of now, 41 states have at least partial reciprocity laws.
Both Cornyn and Hudson have introduced similar legislation in the past, but President Trump’s victory has renewed hope that the legislation can pass.
“I think we have a better chance now than we’ve had previously, obviously, because I think we have a president that I think who will sign it into law,” Cornyn said.
Although the Texas Republican said he has not discussed the bill with the administration, a White House official confirmed that it does support national concealed carry reciprocity. Trump received enormous support from Second Amendment rights supporters, including a high-profile endorsement from the National Rifle Association.
However, nearly two months into Trump’s presidency, the issue is not expected to be brought up soon. Cornyn, the second-highest ranking Senate Republican, pointed to higher-priority issues, including tax reform and repealing and replacing Obamacare, as the reason. Both issues are viewed as big-ticket items for congressional leaders, who began their push by releasing their healthcare replacement plan two weeks ago.
Cornyn indicated that he hopes the bill could become law by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, Hudson said he would be content to have it done by the end of the 115th Congress.
“[T]his will not be an issue we deal with in the first 100 days. My goal is to have this signed into law by the end of this Congress,” Hudson told the Washington Examiner. “I hope we can move this through the House much quicker than that, but I’m patient. We’re doing the things now that we need to do now … At the appropriate time, we’ll start making moves to advance the bill.”
While both bills are supported by pro-Second Amendment groups, including the NRA, there are differences that need to be ironed out. Namely, Hudson’s bill goes further than Cornyn’s by allowing residents in states that do not issue concealed carry permits to legally carry by obtaining an out-of-state non-resident permit. However, Hudson downplays this difference as minor.
“It doesn’t worry me at all,” Hudson said. “It’s not uncommon for companion House and Senate bills to have some differences. The bill that I introduced may look different by the time it gets through Judiciary Committee and ends up on the House floor. These individual issues aren’t concerning at this point.”
Despite the optimism, the legislation faces major hurdles, such as the need for at least eight Senate Democrats to support the bill to reach the 60-vote benchmark. While Cornyn’s bill is widely supported by Senate Republicans, including 29 who signed on as co-sponsors, it is a big question whether Democrats will back the measure, which Cornyn recognizes.
“Well, I bet Sen. [Joe] Manchin will be for it,” Cornyn said with a wry smile, referring to the West Virginia Democrat. “We need to have a conversation with the rest.”
