Senators defend nation Second Amendment protections

Constitutional Concealed-Carry Reciprocity Bill Reintroduced with 45 Senate Sponsors

Credit: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith news release

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) joined U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) in reintroducing the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

The legislation would allow individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state that allows concealed carry, while still abiding by that state’s laws.

“If two states already recognize a right to conceal carry, requiring gun owners to acquire a separate permit to cross state lines is wasteful and unnecessary,” Wicker said.  “This legislation will ensure Americans can continue to exercise their Second Amendment rights without undue hassle.  It is a proposal that simply makes sense, and I hope it earns wide support.”

“A driver’s license does not become void once you cross state lines, and that same logic should apply to a concealed carry permit,” Hyde-Smith said.  “This commonsense legislation ensures law-abiding gun owners can exercise their rights in states that allow it without hindering the states’ authority to make laws for its own residents.”

The Constitutional Concealed-Carry Reciprocity Act would allow individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state with concealed carry laws.  It would treat state-issued concealed carry permits like drivers’ licenses where an individual can use their home-state license to drive in another state, but must abide by that other state’s speed limit or road laws. 

This bill would also protect state sovereignty by not establishing a national standard for concealed carry.

In addition to Wicker and Hyde-Smith, 41 other Senators cosponsored the legislation, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), and Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mon.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

The National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Rifle Association endorsed the legislation.