The U.S. is a sometimes unworkable patchwork quilt of 50 individual states with their own ideas concerning the Second Amendment. While some citizens are fortunate to reside and travel in areas that respect gun rights, others face arbitrary restrictions that are blatantly unconstitutional.
There is now movement on the issue of national reciprocity, in which all states would recognize and respect concealed carry permits issued by others.
President Donald Trump (R) on Wednesday declared that the issue is currently being discussed—an excellent signal for gun rights advocates.
Trump previously expressed his strong support for national reciprocity
The president, who was joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office, was asked by a reporter if changes are being considered to make it easier to carry a legal firearm in the nation’s capital.
The journalist presented the example of having a Texas driving permit and using it to travel in another state. Trump cut off the question with a quick and encouraging response.
“As you know, they’ve been talking about [that] for a long time; it’s an interesting question,” Trump explained. “A lot of people felt strongly both ways, but we are talking about that.”
Good citizens deserve the capability to defend themselves and their loved ones
The president is on record declaring that concealed carry “is a right, not a privilege.” Unfortunately for too many Americans, it is treated as a privilege that the state may withhold or disburse at its choosing.
Trump previously expressed his strong support for concealed carry in a position paper.
“The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway,” the president wrote. “That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state. If we can do that for driving—which is a privilege, not a right—then we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.”
This stand is a reversal of four years of animosity toward gun rights. It is also one that the nation’s largest and oldest Second Amendment advocacy organization is firmly behind.
National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Executive Director John Commerford penned a powerful op-ed published by The Hill this week.
He noted the federal crackdown on crime in the District of Columbia and how enhancing self-defense rights would benefit public safety.
“Thankfully, part of the president’s initiative to make D.C. safe again is to collaborate with appropriate local government entities to provide assistance to increase the speed and lower the cost of processing concealed carry license requests in the District of Columbia,” Commerford asserted. “The goal is to cut the process, which once took numerous months, down to only four days.”
Indeed, residents of the nation’s capital would greatly benefit from enhanced Second Amendment rights instead of being stripped of their best defense.
The push for more concealed carry in D.C. is a golden opportunity to make the process much more user-friendly. Commerford added that the protection afforded to Washington residents is needed across the country.
“This directive makes it clear that the president is prioritizing our Second Amendment rights and believes law-abiding citizens should be able to protect and defend their families, no matter where they live,” Commerford wrote for The Hill.
What the NRA and millions of gun rights supporters seek is to erase state lines when it comes to fundamental rights. Congress needs to pass national reciprocity, as the president has already endorsed it as a worthy goal.
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