Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is planning to introduce a concealed carry reciprocity bill next week.
Sen. Vitter sent a letter to his fellow senators, asking them to cosponsor his forthcoming bill, the “Respecting States Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.”
The Vitter bill treats concealed carry permits much the same as drivers’ licenses, where one state’s license is recognized in all other states.
In addressing the matter of reciprocity, Sen. Vitter’s the first concern of GOA and Sen. Vitter is that it be done constitutionally and that it respects states’ rights.
Unlike another senate reciprocity measure, S. 388, Vitter’s bill does not establish “national standards” for concealed carry. It simply says that states that allow concealed carry must recognize the CCW permits of other states.
Vitter’s bill also respects the rights of states that allow concealed carry without a permit. Citizens of Vermont and non-license holders in Alaska are allowed to carry concealed without a permit. Under the Vitter bill, these states would be recognized in the same manner as states that do issue permits.
States that do not allow concealed carry at all are not forced, under the Vitter bill, to recognize out-of-state permits. There are currently two such states, Illinois and Wisconsin.
