Attorney General Wilson urges Congress to pass concealed carry reciprocity act

(FILE) Attorney General Alan Wilson scag.gov courtesy

(FILE) Attorney General Alan Wilson

(WCIV) — Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a coalition of state attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

The proposed legislation, H.R. 38, aims to establish a framework allowing lawful concealed carry across state lines.

In a letter addressed to House leadership, Wilson and his counterparts emphasized the importance of broad rights for concealed carry among law-abiding citizens, asserting that it promotes public safety and respects fundamental liberties of gun owners.

“It is outrageous that law-abiding Americans can face felony charges and prison time for exercising a constitutional right simply because they cross into a different state,” said Wilson. “The Second Amendment right now is subject to a patchwork of inconsistent state laws; this is why Congress must end this injustice and pass concealed carry reciprocity now. Every day they delay, they allow constitutional rights to be trampled and responsible citizens to be treated like criminals.”

The measure would permit individuals who are lawfully cleared to carry a concealed firearm in their home state to enjoy the same privileges in any other state where concealed carry is legal. The letter counters anti-gun critics by noting that anyone prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm is excluded from the measure.

The attorneys general also referenced independent studies indicating that concealed carry licensees are more law-abiding than the general population.

“Concealed carry is a constitutional right, and it can have substantial public safety benefits by allowing people the means to respond to emergent threats to themselves or others when police are not immediately available to intervene,” the letter states.

“Yet our constituents are threatened with arrest, prosecution and mandatory prison time for technical violations of licensing or possession laws involving conduct that is perfectly legal in all but a handful of states, most of which have well-established history and practice of suppressing the right to keep and bear arms. This is unacceptable, and Congress has the authority and the duty to protect these rights.”