I carry a gun on me every single day to defend myself and my family. While I have been forced to draw three times in my life, I thank God I have never been forced to fire my weapon. But if I am ever put in that situation, I know I will be ready.
But right now, I don't have my gun. I live in Texas, but right now I am visiting family in New Jersey. And even though I have carry permits from two different states -- granting me the right to carry in 36 states -- New Jersey doesn't honor it. So, I had to leave my firearm at home.
Every day, hundreds of thousands of Americans are forced to make this calculation. They are forced to decide between breaking the law and illegally carrying a firearm across state lines, or leave their gun at home and become defenseless.
No one licensed or permitted to carry a firearm should ever have to make this kind of decision...
Luckily, there is pending legislation in Congress that would solve this, but Republican leadership still refuses to let it come to the floor for a vote!
The bill is called the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act and it is actually a very simple piece of legislation.
This is what the text of the bills says:
"An individual who is not prohibited by Federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid license or permit which is issued pursuant to the law of a state and which permits the individual to carry a concealed firearm, may possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun or destructive device) that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce in any State other than the State of residence of the individual...
What does that mean? If you have a lawful concealed carry permit issued by a state -- any state, even a state you don't live in -- then it would be valid nationwide. You would still be responsible for knowing and following the gun laws of the states you visit, but anti-gun states like California and New Jersey wouldn't be allowed to refuse to honor your out of state permit anymore. And since it would grant reciprocity to all state-issued permits, people living in these anti-gun states would regain their right to carry by getting non-resident permits from states like Utah and Florida.
This bill would essentially treat concealed carry permits like driver's licenses. When you get a driver's license from one state, it is good in all states. It would be ridiculous to expect people to get a driver's license in every state they visit. Well, the same is true for the right to carry. Except right now, unless you are a police officer, it is impossible for any American to carry a firearm in all 50 states.
Not only would this bill grant Americans the right to carry nationwide, but it would restore the right to carry to the ~30% of Americans who live in anti-gun states. They would finally have the right to carry.
But it is the Republicans who are refusing to let this bill reach the floor!
It has been 850 days since this legislation was first introduced. That is how long Mitch McConnell and the Republican leadership have been blocking this bill from reaching the floor.
Many Conservatives in the House are still fighting for this -- the bill has 154 co-sponsors, including two Democrats -- but without McConnell on board, they can't pressure the Democrats to pass it.
Our message to Congress today is simple: a right delayed is a right denied.
President Trump has promised to sign this bill into law if it reaches his desk. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the bill's author, believes he can get the Democrat votes for this to pass. But Republicans have spent the past 850 days blocking it from reaching the floor.
Time's up!
Our goal today is to bombard Congress with at least a quarter million FaxBlasts demanding they pass the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. But we can't do this without your help!
A right delayed is a right denied. Don't let the GOP stall any more!
Sincerely,
Max McGuire
Advocacy Director
Conservative Daily
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