Two legislative proposals currently under consideration by the House of Representatives could significantly impact the rights of lawful gun owners and advocates of the Second Amendment.
The bills, which have made considerable headway, are yet to be presented for a full House vote.
The timing seems ripe for these bills to pass, given the current political climate.
The first bill, eagerly anticipated by many, pertains to national reciprocity for concealed carry (CCW). The second bill seeks to reduce the time the federal government has to resolve issues with the national background check system when an individual contests a denial.
According to RedState, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38) and the Firearm Due Process Protection Act (H.R. 2184) were deliberated and approved in committee on Tuesday. This marks the initial phase before the bills can be evaluated by the entire House of Representatives and eventually the Senate. H.R. 38, which aims to establish nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry permits, would enable lawful gun owners with a permit in one state to carry in another state that also allows concealed carry but may lack reciprocity.
John Commerford, executive director of the NRA's congressional lobbying arm, stated, "The right of self-defense shouldn't end simply because you cross the state line." He added, "Passage of H.R. 38 concealed carry reciprocity would be the most monumental win for gun rights in Congress since 2005, when the Protection of Lawful Commerce and Arms Act was passed."
However, H.R. 38 has sparked some controversy, with the left surprisingly framing it as a states' rights issue. Emma Brown, executive director at the gun control advocacy group Giffords, argued, "This legislation is a dramatic infringement on states rights and would be disastrous for gun crime and law enforcement safety in our country." She further claimed, "Violent crime rises when state concealed carry standards are weakened, and this would weaken the standard in every single state. It would also endanger police and make their jobs harder."
Brown's assertions are fundamentally flawed. Constitutional rights are not subject to individual state interpretation, and violent crime has consistently declined in states that have liberalized concealed-carry laws. The full faith and credit clause obliges states to acknowledge the legal actions of other states, which explains why a driver's license is valid across all 50 states, while a CCW permit is not. This legislation aims to rectify that discrepancy.
The second bill under consideration, H.R. 2184, seeks to bolster the rights of individuals wishing to purchase firearms who may be denied due to errors in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
H.R. 2184 mandates federal officials to rule on an appeal within 60 days if a buyer contests a denial of their right to purchase a firearm on the grounds of an error. If a response is not provided within the stipulated two-month period, gun owners can then petition a court for a judgment.
While this bill would also represent a significant victory, it may not be as impactful as CCW reciprocity. Reciprocity is a goal that Second Amendment activists have been pursuing since the first shall-issue CCW permit law was enacted in Florida in 1987.
Despite recent setbacks, Second Amendment activists remain hopeful of securing victories on these two crucial fronts.
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