We are mid-way through January 2018 which means Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has ignored national reciprocity for 45 consecutive weeks.

National reciprocity for concealed carry was introduced in the Senate on March 1, 2017 and McConnell has yet to say a word in support of it. His silence is ironic, given the fact that he cloaked himself in the Second Amendment in order to sway pro-gun Kentuckians into re-electing him in 2014.

On November 7, 2013, the Lexington Herald-Leader quoted NRA-ILA’s Chris Cox, who helped swat Democrat criticism of McConnell, saying, “It’s safe to say that law-abiding gun owners in Kentucky represent not only a loyal group of voters but a savvy group of voters. And they know the difference between campaign rhetoric and someone who has fought in the trenches for years for their issues.”

But McConnell seems to be a long way from the trenches now. After all, national reciprocity was introduced 45 weeks ago and McConnell has ignored it every since.

National reciprocity gets to the heart of the Second Amendment inasmuch as it would deny left-leaning states the opportunity to infringe law-abiding citizens’ right to keep and bear arms while traveling. It is really that simple. What other God-given, natural right is subject to infringement when an American leaves his state of residence?

Do Americans from Idaho lose their First Amendment freedoms when they travel to California? No.

Do Americans from Kentucky lose their Fourth Amendment freedoms when they travel to Illinois? No.

But law-abiding Americans from any state other than California lose their Second Amendment freedoms the moment they drive into California. The same thing happens to law-abiding Americans who drive into Illinois.

National reciprocity would correct this travesty and that should be important Mitch McConnell.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange