FAIRFAX, Va. – On behalf of our more than 5 million members across the country, the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) today applauded the introduction of S. 69, The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (TX).
“The current patchwork of state and local gun laws is confusing and can cause the most conscientious gun owner to unknowingly run afoul of the law when they are traveling or temporarily living away from home,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA-ILA. “Sen. Cornyn’s legislation provides a much-needed solution to a real problem for law-abiding gun owners.”
S. 69 would eliminate the confusing patchwork of state carry laws by allowing individuals who possess concealed carry licenses or who are not prohibited from carrying concealed in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state that provides a lawful means of concealed carry for its own residents.
This legislation would not override state laws governing the time, place or manner of carriage or establish national standards for concealed carry. Individual state gun laws would still be respected. If under federal law a person is prohibited from carrying a firearm, they would continue to be prohibited from doing so under this bill.
“Law-abiding citizens should be able to exercise their fundamental right to self-defense while traveling across state lines,” continued Cox. “We thank Sen. Cornyn for his leadership on this important issue.”
Concealed Carry Facts:
- Nearly every state in the country recognizes the right of residents to lawfully carry a concealed handgun in public for self-defense – a right that more than 17 million Americans now exercise.
- America’s experience with concealed carry demonstrates that the repeated claim that concealed carry increases violence is factually incorrect. Concealed carry licensees are an exceptionally law-abiding population.
- National reciprocity is already a reality in the 22 states that recognize all other concealed carry licenses or allow law-abiding non-residents to carry a firearm without a license.
- Only ten states (and the District of Columbia) still refuse to recognize the permits of any other states, forcing lawful concealed carriers to surrender their rights when traveling through these jurisdictions. The consequence is obvious, as otherwise law-abiding citizens – specifically veterans, single mothers, disaster response workers, nurses, medical school students, and even corrections officers – have wrongfully suffered seizure of property, arrest, detention and even prosecution because they failed to navigate the legal minefield that is the current state reciprocity system.
The bill recognizes the diversity of state concealed carry laws by making each person subject to the rules of the state in which they are present, including places off-limits to firearms and laws governing the defensive use of force. It merely allows out-of-state licensees to carry concealed in the same manner as in-state residents.
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. More than five million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at NRA on Facebook and Twitter @NRA.
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