New concealed carry bill would make it easier for truckers to defend themselves across state lines

A newly introduced bill seeks to simply the confusing patchwork of state conceal and carry reciprocity laws, which would make it easier for professional truck drivers to legally defend themselves as they drive cross country.

On January 9, Texas Senator John Cornyn introduced S. 69, also known as the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

According to a news release from Cornyn’s office, the purpose of the bill is to “allow individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state with concealed carry laws, while abiding by that state’s laws.”

The bill would not establish national concealed carry standards but would allow “individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to conceal carry in any other states that also allow concealed carry.”

Cornyn points out that the new legislation would respect individual state rights as they apply to gun laws while also allowing citizens to defend themselves even if they travel away from their home state. “This bill focuses on two of our country’s most fundamental constitutional protections– the Second Amendment’s right of citizens to keep and bear arms and the Tenth Amendment’s right of states to make laws best-suited for their residents. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this important legislation for law-abiding gun owners nationwide,” said Cornyn.

As of January 22, the bill has 33 co-sponsors, all of which are Republicans.

Two similar concealed carry reciprocity bills have failed in recent years.

Should the bill pass, it could go a long way towards clearing up the confusion surrounding OTR trucking while carrying a firearm. While there is no law that prohibits truck drivers from carrying guns, many carriers do not allow it and most U.S. military bases prohibit it. To complicate matters, varied state concealed carry reciprocity laws mean that truckers need to do their homework before they cross state lines while carrying a firearm to make sure that they are compliant with the law.

You can click here to access an interactive map to help you understand which states will honor your home state’s concealed carry permits.