H.R. 197-- the "National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act."

H.R. 197 has been introduced that is a positive step forward to the rights of a citizen to travel with the protection they are granted by the constitution. The bill has 127 co-sponsors in the House. Not surprisingly all of the southern states are sponsoring the bill, but to my surprise the bill is also co-sponsored by Representatives from PA, NJ, IL, CA, IN, MI, ME, and OH.  Keep in mind that there are 435 members of the House of Representatives and not all representatives of each state are in support of the bill. This means that less than half of the House has agreed to support the bill and no major action has been taken on it since 2/9/09. Similar bills in the Senate are S.371, S.845 both have 22 co-sponsors and the latest action on them were on 4/21/09.

This bill would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by a state, to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if the permit holder meets certain criteria. In states that issue permits, a state's laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within its borders. In states that do not issue carry permits, a federal standard would apply. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; it would simply require the states to recognize each other's carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses.

For more information on H.R. 197, please click here.


To see if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 197, please click here.