Per the Hill, the Republican Senate is taking up concealed carry reciprocity:

Gun owners would be allowed to carry concealed weapons around the country under new legislation in the Senate. The Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn, will reintroduce a gun rights bill Thursday that critics warn is dangerous. The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would allow gun owners who have a concealed carry permit in their home state to bring their firearms in any other state with concealed carry laws. “This operates more or less like a driver’s license,” Cornyn told The Hill. “So, for example, if you have a driver’s license in Texas, you can drive in New York, in Utah and other places, subject to the laws of those states.” Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said this would “eliminate some of the ‘gotcha moments,’ where people inadvertently cross state lines” with guns they are legally allowed to carry in their home state.


This lattermost claim is almost certainly a direct reference to Shaneen Allen, the single mother who was threatened with ten years in jail for crossing into New Jersey with a concealed handgun. And rightly so. As more and more Americans buy guns and obtain concealed carry permits, legislation such as this is going to be deemed increasingly necessary.

Having said that, there is a raging debate on the right as to how this relates to the important question of federalism, and whether the legislation would be justified by the full faith and credit clause. I’m never quite sure what I think, but I nevertheless tried to sum up the state of the disagreement a few months ago.

Similar legislation has been introduced into the last few Congresses, but has never made it out. One can only imagine that, should this session be different, President Obama would veto the measure.