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Legislation & Lobbying

Should state concealed-carry permits have the same nationwide reach as drivers' licenses?

A Texas senator has introduced a bill that would allow anyone who has obtained a concealed-carry permit to exercise that privilege in other states.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn said in a press release that his bill “would treat state-issued concealed-carry permits like drivers’ licenses, allowing law-abiding citizens with concealed-carry privileges to concealed-carry in any other states that also permit it by law.” All 50 states have laws that allow carrying of concealed guns, though their permit standards vary.

Fifteen states don’t recognize a Texas concealed-carry license, Cornyn says.

New York Times op-ed columnist Gail Collins views Cornyn’s bill as a bad idea. “This is perfectly reasonable, except for the part about gun permits being anything whatsoever like drivers’ licenses,” Collins writes.

A driver’s license signals the ability to operate a motor vehicle, while some states are lax in awarding concealed-carry permits, Collins argues. “The Cornyn bill would set a national bar at the lowest denominator,” she says.