Gun violence prevention advocates are bracing for a battle with the incoming administration over Donald Trump's vow to sign a nationwide "concealed carry reciprocity" law that would allow gun owners with concealed carry permits to travel with their weapons to all 50 states, even those that do not honor out-of-state permit holders from doing so, ABC News reports. The issue resurfaced over the weekend, when Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., posted a 2023 video on Instagram of his father vowing to sign legislation allowing concealed carry permit reciprocity nationwide. "BOOM! My father just announced full concealed carry reciprocity! The 2nd Amendment will stay and remain protected," Donald Trump Jr. wrote. Monisha Henley, senior vice president of government affairs for Everytown for Gun Safety, said such a law would mean that "law enforcement won't know who has firearms."
Twenty-nine states already allow some form of concealed carry reciprocity, including some that only honor concealed carry permits from out-of-state gun owners if their state reciprocates. Nine states — including California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey and New York — and Washington, D.C., do not honor concealed carry permits from other states. At least 26 states, including Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana and Georgia, have adopted permitless carry rules, meaning no gun permits are necessary to carry concealed weapons if the gun owner meets age requirements and is not prohibited from possessing firearms. "Gutting state gun laws just makes it easier for dangerous people to carry a hidden weapon with no training, with no questions asked," Everytown's Henley said. During Trump's first term in the Oval Office, the Republican-controlled House passed the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act with a vote of 231 to 198. However, the Democrat-controlled Senate killed the legislation. In his second term, Trump will have a Republican-controlled Senate along with a Republican-led House. Pat Harrigan, an Army veteran and Republican who won election last week to represent North Carolina's 10th Congressional District, took to Instagram on Monday to voice support for nationwide reciprocity. “President Trump is right: Just because we cross state lines does not mean that we should lose our Second Amendment rights," Harrigan said in a video statement on Instagram. "If we want safer communities, we should pass national, 50-state concealed carry reciprocity and I’ll be right there next to President Trump."
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