WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives on Wednesday gave gun-rights advocates their first legislative win of the year in a move that some saw as Republican backflip on protecting states’ rights: approval of a federal regulation that would require states that issue concealed-weapons permits to honor such permits from other states.
The GOP-led chamber approved the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, intended to allow gun owners to travel more easily from state to state without worrying about whether their concealed-carry permit was valid.
Opponents saw a conflict with another GOP priority — states’ rights. They argued the proposed law would override state laws that determine who should be allow to carry a concealed weapon.
The debate put the spotlight on the familiar tug of war between state and federal power, but it was somewhat unusual to see Republicans supporting the federal side. Proponents said the action was merely an attempt to bring clarity to a complicated system of permit reciprocity — a move similar to requiring that state driver’s licenses be recognized in all states.
Forty states already allow some form of concealed-weapons permits reciprocity, advocates said.
“The simple right to defend yourself and loved ones from criminals is fundamental, and it doesn’t extinguish when you cross a state border,” said Rep. Cliff Stearns, the Florida Republican who sponsored the bill.
Some Republicans broke from the party. Rep. Dan Lungren of California noted that he was a strong defender of the Second Amendment but “at the same time, as a former attorney general, I continue to have a deep and abiding commitment to preserving states’ rights.”
Democrats and Republicans had largely tabled the Second Amendment debate this session, especially after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., at a constituents’ event in Tucson in January. Wednesday’s vote was a chance to win cheers from gun-rights supporters, a key segment of the GOP base.
The reciprocity in the bill would apply in the 49 states that currently issue concealed-carry permits. Gun owners would not be able to carry in Illinois, the sole state that does not issue any such permit.
