Back on December 6, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R.38 – Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, which defined the person qualified to traverse state lines with a concealed gun and strengthened the technological infrastructure for criminal background checks among other verifications. Although a version of this legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate, it never came up for a vote in the upper chamber. Representative Richard Hudson, a leader of the effort to pass the Act in the House, vowed at that time to re-introduce the bill in the next Congress.
Congressman Hudson was true to his word, bringing the bill back to the lower chamber on its very first day of business in 2019. With a shift in the legislative majority, the bipartisan bill was nonetheless stifled by the leadership. With consistency that reflects commitment, Mr. Hudson again proposed this legislation on the opening day of the 117th Congress on January 4, 2021. He said on that day, “The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act is a common sense solution to provide law-abiding citizens the right to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits. I am especially proud to have such widespread and bipartisan support for this measure and will work with my colleagues to get this legislation over the finish line.”
This bill was introduced on January 9, 2023, in a previous session of Congress, but it did not receive a vote.
On January 8 2025 Congressman Hudson released the following Press Release.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After being sworn into the 119th Congress, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) led over 120 of his colleagues in introducing H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry license holders and for residents of Constitutional Carry states.
“Our Second Amendment right does not disappear when we cross invisible state lines, and this commonsense legislation guarantees that,” said Rep. Hudson.“The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act will protect law-abiding citizens’ rights to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits. I am proud to see such strong and widespread support, and I will not stop fighting to get this legislation signed into law.”
H.R. 38 allows people with state-issued concealed carry licenses or permits to conceal a handgun in any other state. It also allows residents of Constitutional Carry states to carry in other states.
Read an exclusive story in Fox News here.
Rep. Hudson has introduced the bipartisan Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act in previous years. In December 2017, the bill was passed by the House with bipartisan support, yet it was not taken up in the Senate. Rep. Hudson has repeatedly said he would continue to pursue the legislation. Additionally, President Donald Trump has committed to signing national concealed carry reciprocity legislation into law.
H.R. 38 is supported by major pro-Second Amendment organizations, including the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), Gun Owners of America (GOA), the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
“The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed an individual’s fundamental right to keep and bear arms,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of NRA-ILA. “Congress should now ensure that the right to self-defense does not end at a state line. NRA applauds and thanks Rep. Hudson for his longstanding and unwavering leadership in the fight for right-to-carry reciprocity.”
“Congress has the opportunity to deliver the greatest legislative victory for the gun rights movement in a century, and President Trump has already voiced his support,” said Aidan Johnston, GOA Director of Federal Affairs.“With all 50 states now issuing concealed carry permits, 49 states allowing nonresident carry, and 29 states with permitless or Constitutional Carry, it is simply common sense for Congress to ensure that each state’s concealed carry license is valid in every other state. We thank President Trump for his leadership on this issue and urge Congress to swiftly send Rep. Hudson’s Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act to the President’s desk to be signed.”
“On behalf of the USCCA’s more than 850,000 members nationwide, we applaud Congressman Hudson’s continued leadership in defending the rights of responsibly-armed Americans,” said Tim Schmidt, President and Co-Founder of USCCA. “Our Constitutional rights do not end at state lines. This legislation is critical to ensuring law-abiding gun owners’ fundamental right to defend themselves and their loved ones regardless of geography or location. The USCCA remains committed to seeing H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, one of the most consequential reforms for gun owners nationwide, signed into law.”
“This legislation eliminates the confusing patchwork of laws surrounding concealed carry permits that vary from state-to-state, particularly with regard to states where laws make unwitting criminals out of legal permit holders for a simple mistake of a wrong traffic turn,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.“It safeguards a state’s right to determine their own laws while protecting the Second Amendment rights of all Americans. We thank Rep. Hudson for his leadership on behalf of America’s hunters and recreational shooters.”
See National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
Find Your Rep. here and let them know that the time has come to allow all law-abiding citizens the freedom to defend themselves.
