Not only is an expansion of concealed-carry written into the Senate’s “Second Amendment Protection” bill, but it could be expanded nationwide via an amendment on the floor. Here’s what it could mean:
“Concealed carry reciprocity” would require all states to recognize out-of-state permits for concealed handguns, essentially eliminating tough state gun standards and establishing a low federal floor of regulation. State laws that deny permits to people who have been convicted of certain violent misdemeanors or require gun safety training could be ignored, as states with tighter gun regulations would have to accept permit holders from states with looser standards — even if those permit holders would have been prevented from carrying guns in the state where they are traveling. Federal law only prohibits felons and a few other categories of people from possessing guns, leading many states to enact more restrictions.
Now, if concealed-carry reciprocity becomes a serious problem, then the federal government would be almost powerless to roll back the law, given the entrenched gun culture and worship of the Second Amendment preventing serious government action on guns. Yep, it’s a trap. But, still, I don’t see a bill with or without reciprocity passing the House. So there’s that.