Our friends at Gun Owners of America and the Virginia Citizens Defense League have reminded us that the concealed carry reciprocity bill introduced by Republican Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-8) is being marked up by the House Judiciary Committee today.
Under Hudson’s legislation, H.R. 38, The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, every state will recognize 
the constitutional right to concealed carry for the protection of you, your family and your friends.
But this is just the beginning say our friends at GOA.
Under the Hudson bill, every state would also recognize the concealed carry rights of residents who come from Constitutional Carry states.
Not only that, the Hudson bill would:
* Repeal federal gun-free zones such as the ones that have resulted in the slaughter of children at various schools around the country;
* Apply to magazines and ammunition, thereby thwarting efforts of states like Massachusetts and California to ban guns through a technicality; and,
* Allow guns on virtually all federal lands, to the same extent as our 2011 amendment authorized guns in parks, subject only to the laws of the state where the lands are located.
The Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary is Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-6).
Our friends at the Virginia Citizens Defense League advise us that Chairman Goodlatte will have some amendments to H.R. 38 that will improve it and that they expect to support.
The main changes in Goodlatte's bill are to add National Forests as a place where a CHP holder can carry. The substitute also adds off-duty and retired police officers as authorized to carry concealed in school zones.
H.R. 38 has 213 co-sponsors, all but three of whom are Republicans, but this doesn’t mean that it is a lock to pass the House.
Gun prohibition lobbying groups have been raising alarms about the legislation for months. Among the false arguments raised against the bill is that it “would allow people to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public throughout the country without ever getting a permit, having passed a background check or receiving gun safety training.”
According to Dave Workman of Liberty Park Press, there are an estimated 16.5 million Americans who are licensed to carry concealed sidearms in the United States. Many states have individual reciprocity agreements with other states, but there is no national recognition, which may seem counterintuitive since gun control advocates have, for years, argued that guns should be licensed and registered just like cars. They have not, however, included in that argument that concealed carry licenses or permits be honored across state lines.
The National Rifle Association has also weighed-in on H.R. 38 saying, “Concealed carry reciprocity is the NRA’s highest legislative priority in Congress. It would ensure that states recognize the concealed carry credentials of other states. This would end abuses in anti-gun states like New York and New Jersey and allow law-abiding concealed carriers to exercise their rights nationwide with peace of mind.”
Workman says that when H.R. 38 clears committee it is expected to face stiff opposition from Democrats representing states with very restrictive gun laws including New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland and Connecticut.
Which is why it is crucial for those who value their Second Amendment guaranteed rights to get on the telephone to call their Representative to urge him or her to support H.R. 38. The Capitol Switchboard is 1-866-220-0044 we urge all CHQ readers to call their Representative TODAY in support of H.R. 38.
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