The House Judiciary Committee held a markup session on Tuesday, March 25, voting on several bills, including the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.” Now that this key legislative process is complete, the issue of reciprocity is cleared for consideration by the United States House of Representatives.
H.R. 38, the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” sponsored by North Carolina Republican Richard Hudson, aims to address inconsistencies among state laws that place travelers at legal risk for actions that may be perfectly lawful in their home state. This should never have been an issue in a country known as the United States, with the operative word there being “united.”
Anti-Second Amendment activists will attend to a fiercely ignorant argument that states are granted the right to make their own laws. However, this does not mean they can create those laws solely to circumvent Constitutional law. I have long been an advocate for testing all gun laws against free speech, creating mirroring restrictions and obstacles in conservative states, and watching the meltdown as leftists cry foul on the First Amendment. You can’t have it both ways, you infantile thumb suckers. If it isn’t a violation of the Second, then it can’t be a violation of the First.
The fact remains that Constitutional rights are enumerated with respect to the entire country. I would go so far as to say any state wilfully opposing them or denying Americans those liberties stands in open rebellion against the United States, much more so than a bunch of rowdy January 6 protestors trying to take selfies after being ushered into the Capitol building by Capitol Police. I would also feel comfortable saying that a federal government that does not step in to oppose state Constitutional violations is not representative of that state’s citizens. And you know what they say about taxation without representation, right?
Thankfully, for now, H.R. 38 moves forward, having been passed by the committee on a party-line vote of 18-9. The measure seeks to create a federal framework protecting an individual’s right to carry in any state that allows concealed carry, just as if that person were in their home state. The bill contains a preemption clause, overriding any contradictory state or local restrictions and providing legal protection through a private right of action for anyone whose rights are interfered with while shielding them from arrest without probable cause.
H.R. 38 is now on its way to full U.S. House consideration and, if passed, would face heavy debate in the Senate. I encourage everyone to call and email their representatives throughout the process, letting them know that this is a Constitutional right and that how they vote will be a clear barometer of their reverence for American values and liberty.
