BELLEVUE, WA – Today’s passage of concealed carry reciprocity legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives is a victory for American gun owners and the Second Amendment, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said.
H.R. 38 was passed by the House and now moves to the U.S. Senate for debate and action.
“We’re one step closer to fully restoring the Second Amendment as it was originally intended,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Now, if the Senate can follow the House lead and pass this measure, law abiding American gun owners will no longer have to fear wrongful arrest and even imprisonment for having a firearm for personal protection as they travel from state to state.”
Under the reciprocity legislation, states must honor the carry permits and licenses issued by all other states. No longer will honest citizens be harassed or prosecuted for exercising their constitutional right to bear arms evenwhen they travel in such states as New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland or the handful of other states that have abused their authority over the years, turning citizens into criminals.
“For decades,” Gottlieb observed, “the gun prohibition crowd has argued that gun owners should be licensed, same as drivers. Well, millions of them are licensed, and they should be afforded the same courtesy as automobile drivers who travel from state to state. After all, there is no constitutional right to drive a car, but there is a constitutionally-protected right to bear arms, and officials in those states need to recognize that.
“Now the battle moves to the Senate,” he said. “We’re encouraging American gun owners and especially the millions of citizens who have licenses or permits to carry, to contact their senators about this important legislation. The gun prohibition lobby is pulling out all the stops to defeat this legislation, and Second Amendment activists need to fight back.”