2017
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National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
- Introduced 01/03/2017
– Rep. Hudson, Richard [R-NC-8] - Introduced 01/03/2019
– Rep. Hudson, Richard [R-NC-8] - HR 38, The Concealed Reciprocity Act of 2021
– John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) - Treats state-issued concealed carry permits like drivers’ licenses where an individual can use their home-state license to drive in another state, but must abide by that other state’s speed limit or road laws.
- Allows law-abiding citizens to exercise their fundamental right to self-defense while they are traveling or temporarily living away from home
- Allows individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to conceal carry in any other states that also allow concealed carry.
About the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act is a long-running federal bill that would require every state to honor concealed carry permits issued by other states, much as states honor each other’s driver’s licenses. Carriers would still be required to follow the local laws of the state they are visiting. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina has sponsored the House version in every Congress since 2015, first as H.R. 986 and, from 2017 on, as H.R. 38. Versions of the bill would also allow concealed transport of handguns across state lines and would amend the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 to cover permit holders.
For gun owners who travel, national reciprocity is one of the most closely watched pieces of federal legislation, because today’s patchwork of state agreements can turn a lawful carrier into a criminal at a state line. The bill came closest in December 2017, when it passed the House 231-198 before stalling in the Senate. The 2025 version, titled the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, was advanced by the House Judiciary Committee 18-9 on March 25, 2025. Congress.gov carries the current floor status.
Key Facts
- February 13, 2015: H.R. 986 introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson; died in committee
- January 3, 2017: H.R. 38 introduced with 213 cosponsors
- December 6, 2017: Passed the House 231-198 after a 19-11 Judiciary Committee vote
- January 3, 2019, January 4, 2021 and January 9, 2023: Reintroduced as H.R. 38 in each new Congress
- January 3, 2025: Reintroduced as the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
- March 25, 2025: Advanced by the House Judiciary Committee, 18-9
