The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, later the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
H.R. 38
, is a bill that would amend

Title 18 of the United States Code Title 18 of the United States Code is the main criminal code of the federal government of the United States. The Title deals with federal crimes and criminal procedure. In its coverage, Title 18 is similar to most U.S. state criminal codes ...

to require all U.S. states to recognize

concealed carry Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (usually a sidearm such as a handgun), either in proximity to or on one's person or in public places in a manner that hides or conceals the weapon's pre ...

permits granted by other states. It would also allow the concealed transport of

handgun A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun, long barreled gun (i.e., carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and br ...

s across state lines, so long as it is allowed by both states and would amend the

Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 The Gun-Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) is an act of the U.S. Congress prohibiting any unauthorized individual from knowingly possessing a loaded or unsecured firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, ...

to allow permit holders to carry a concealed weapon in school zones in any state.

Legislative History

As of June 11, 2025 The version of the bill was introduced in the

115th United States Congress The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...

by Richard Hudson, a

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Republican in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, on January 3, 2017. Hudson is the bill's chief sponsor, but the bill has over 200 co-sponsors as well. On November 29, the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

voted 19-11 to advance the bill to the floor of the House for a vote. Congressional Democrats had proposed multiple amendments to the bill, all of which were voted down by Republicans. The bill is intended to be combined with another, bipartisan bill aimed at improving the

National Instant Criminal Background Check System The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a background check system in the United States created by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 to prevent firearm sales to people prohibited under the Act. The system ...

. On December 6, the House passed the bill 231-198.

Responses

The

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

praised the bill, writing on its website that "This would end abuses in anti-gun states like

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and allow law-abiding concealed carriers to exercise their rights nationwide with peace of mind". Democrats have criticized the bill, claiming, among other things, that it would infringe on

states' rights In United States, American politics of the United States, political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments of the United States, state governments rather than the federal government of the United States, ...

and adversely affect

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

Gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

advocates such as Sara Gorman have also criticized the bill, stating that it would be dangerous for victims of domestic abuse because it would allow people to circumvent background checks for guns or permits by obtaining them in more permissive states. On February 11, 2018, it was reported that President Donald Trump "fully" supported the bill, but on February 27 it was reported that Trump instead preferred Fix NICS Act, sponsored by Senator

John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...

(R-TX), that included stronger background checks. Trump signed "Fix NICS" on March 23, 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 Proposed legislation of the 114th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 115th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 116th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 117th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 118th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 119th United States Congress United States federal firearms legislation

Legislative History

Responses

See also

References