On the campaign trail, Donald Trump said concealed carry gun permits should be like driver's licenses—valid nationwide.
"If we can do that for driving -- which is a privilege, not a right -- then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege," Trump said.
Now sweeping federal legislation that would essentially steamroll gun safety laws enacted at the state level—in many cases by voters—is already on the table, writes Bryan Schatz:
Shortly after Donald Trump won the election, Todd Rathner, a prominent gun rights lobbyist, said that gun owners were eager to "go on the offense at the federal level." Among their top priorities was national reciprocity legislation: A law guaranteeing that people with concealed-carry permits from one state could take their guns into any other state, even if that state has stricter limits on carrying concealed weapons. Sure enough, on the first day of the new session of Congress, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) introduced the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. [...]
These type of bills have typically been aimed at making it easier for people traveling through states on road trips or for work to contend with differing state laws. Forget about all that, this is just downright brazen—letting one state’s laws trump another state’s laws.
Hudson's bill, however, goes far beyond making travelers' concealed-carry permits portable across state lines. It would also force states to allow residents with a concealed-carry permit issued in another state to pack heat. Additionally, it would would allow gun owners from states that do not require concealed-carry permits to carry weapons in states that do require permits. [...]
"Under Hudson's bill, a California resident who cannot get a concealed-carry permit in California can easily get one from Utah, and then carry guns in California without ever setting foot in Utah, and not for some short duration like a tourist stay, but for the rest of his life and every day," explains Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California-Los Angeles. "The real impact of the Hudson bill is not to protect interstate travelers. It's to require states with restrictive concealed-carry policies to allow their own residents to carry guns."
Just one more piece of legislation for Democrats and progressives to keep an eye on, among Trump’s parade of horribles.