Texas Law Shield is pleased to see Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn re-introduce a Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act — his 2014 effort came up three votes short in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
The 2015 version was introduced on Feb. 12. The legislation would allow individuals who possess concealed carry permits from their home state or who are not prohibited from carrying concealed in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state that does not prohibit concealed carry.
“This operates more or less like a driver’s license,” Sen. Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican in the upper chamber, told The Hill. “So, for example, if you have a driver’s license in Texas, you can drive in New York, in Utah and other places, subject to the laws of those states.”
“The current patchwork of state and local laws is confusing for even the most conscientious and well-informed concealed carry permit holders. This confusion often leads to law-abiding gun owners running afoul of the law when they exercise their right to self-protection while traveling or temporarily living away from home,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA-ILA. “Senator Cornyn’s legislation provides a much needed solution to a real problem for law-abiding gun owners.”
This legislation wouldn’t override state laws governing the time, place, or manner of carrying, nor establish national standards for concealed carry. Individual state gun laws would still be respected. Concealed carry reciprocity would simply ensure that states honor permits issued by other states, just as they do with driver’s licenses. Importantly, if under federal law a person is prohibited from carrying a firearm, they will continue to be prohibited from doing so under this bill.
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