House GOP mounts Trump-backed push to expand concealed carry permits for millions of Americans
A member of House GOP leadership has introduced a new bill to radically expand concealed carry permissions for Americans across the country.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson, R-N.C., the leader of the House GOP campaign arm, is unveiling his Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act on Tuesday, a bill already backed by more than 120 fellow House Republicans.
It's also gotten support from a lone member of the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.
"What we're talking about is just requiring states to recognize the permit of another state just like you recognize a driver's license," Hudson told Fox News Digital. "When I drive to D.C. from North Carolina across Virginia, I don't stop at the Virginia line and take a driver's test to get another license. The state recognizes that North Carolina license."
President-elect Trump has already said he would sign such a bill if it reached his desk.
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"I will sign concealed carry reciprocity. Your Second Amendment does not end at the state line," he said in a video from the beginning of his 2024 campaign.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., shared the clip days after his father won the presidency in early November.
Hudson said he has discussed the issue with Trump but not about the specific legislation.
"I know I'll need his help to get it through the Senate," the North Carolina Republican said.
The bill previously passed the House in 2017 but was not taken up in the Senate.
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He is optimistic this time, however, that the bill can get all the way to the White House, given Republicans' control of Congress and the presidency.
"I think we've got the best chance of getting this into law we've had since 2017," Hudson said.
Nearly 22 million Americans have some form of concealed carry permit, according to data published by the Social Science Research Network in 2023.
He raised the example of Shaneen Allen, a single mother from Philadelphia who was pulled over during a routine traffic stop in New Jersey but was arrested for unlawful possession when she informed officers of her concealed carry permit and the firearm in her vehicle.
"There's a hodgepodge of different state laws when it comes to concealed carry, and so this bill just clarifies that and then rectifies the situation where a law-abiding citizen can become a criminal just by crossing an invisible state line," Hudson said.
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The bill is also backed by pro-gun groups Gun Owners of America (GOA), the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.
"With all 50 states now issuing concealed carry permits, 49 states allowing nonresident carry and 29 states with permitless or constitutional carry, it is simply common sense for Congress to ensure that each state’s concealed carry license is valid in every other state," GOA Director of Federal Affairs Aidan Johnston told Fox News Digital.