The House of Representatives voted yesterday on a conceal and carry bill that could have a huge impact on interstate truckers who drive with firearms for personal protection.
House Passes Monumental Gun Rights Bill
The “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act” was passed yesterday by a 231-198 margin.
The bill would make concealed carry licenses in one state valid across state lines. The bill would also make improvements to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and could increase penalties for the use of bump stocks.
The bill, which was supported by the NRA, was sponsored by North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson. Hudson called yesterday’s vote a major victory for Second Amendment rights: “For the millions of law-abiding citizens who lawfully carry concealed to protect themselves, for conservatives who want to strengthen our Second Amendment rights, and for the overwhelming majority of Americans who support concealed carry reciprocity, Christmas came early.”
.@RepRichHudson 👏👏👏 #HR38 #ConcealedCarry #2A pic.twitter.com/sis4CDt7lE
— NRA (@NRA) December 6, 2017
Hudson has fought for conceal and carry reciprocity for years and has argued that current gun laws are so confusing and patchwork that conceal and carry holders could be breaking the law by accident. He also argued that about half of the states in the U.S. already allow conceal and carry reciprocity.
Bill Faces A Fight In The Senate
The bill faces strong opposition from Democrats as it moves into the Senate, but if it passes, it would essentially accomplish the main goals of the Small Business and Transportation Coalition’s “Mike’s Law.” Named for Michael Boeglin, a 31 year old owner-operator who was shot to death while waiting to pick up a load in Detroit in 2014, Mike’s Law called for nationwide conceal and carry reciprocity for truck drivers on the job.
This is the first movement by lawmakers under Trump to fulfill the president’s campaign promises to promote and protect gun rights. Trump campaigned on conceal and carry reciprocity, writing in a position paper published before he was elected, “The right of self – defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.”
There is no federal law that prevents truck drivers from carrying a firearm, but many companies have policies that forbid carrying guns. For more on current gun reciprocity laws, click here.