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Twenty-four State Attorneys General Urge Congress to Pass H.R. 38

Monday, June 2, 2025

Twenty-four State Attorneys General Urge Congress to Pass H.R. 38

On May 21, two dozen state attorneys general sent a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, urging that body to pass H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

The effort, led by Gentner Drummond of Oklahoma and John B. McCuskey of West Virginia, is the largest show of law enforcement support for H.R. 38 in this Congress. It reflects the “perspective [of] the chief law officers of … states … which either recognize the right of law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns without a permit or grant full recognition to concealed carry credentials issued by other states.” That experience led the signatories to state: “we know firsthand that recognizing a broad right of concealed carry among law-abiding Americans promotes public safety and respects the fundamental liberties of our constituents.”

Responding to news reports and other critics of the legislation, the letter debunked various fallacies about what the bill would do and whom it would benefit.

It first noted the bill only protects those who are federally eligible to possess firearms, which excludes individuals with a serious criminal history, those subject to certain restraining orders, and persons illegally present in the U.S. Also excluded would be those with dangerous mental health conditions, as established by court commitments or adjudications.

The letter also pushed back against the idea the bill would be an infringement of “states rights,” noting nothing would change about the laws of the states themselves and outlining how state laws and property rights would remain broadly enforceable. It also hinted that these objections were not necessarily offered sincerely or in good faith, observing that such concerns “would have been completely unfamiliar, if not repugnant, to some of these same pundits in any other context.”

The missive further asserted that concerns about the ability of police to keep the peace were obviously overblown, “as permitless carry is now the majority rule in the United States, and police departments … continue to protect and serve the public as before.” It emphasized the continued “authority of a police officer encountering an individual with a concealed firearm to conduct an appropriate investigative stop, consistent with Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968), to determine the lawfulness of the behavior and whether the person meets the thresholds for protection under the Act.”

Finally, the letter took on the false premise that the legislation would “force states with strict permitting standards to accommodate carriers from jurisdictions with more lax requirements.” It argued anti-gun states made this claim not because their permitting standards were better at screening out high-risk applicants, but simply because they prevented as many people from carrying as possible. “But failure to acknowledge the right is not the same thing as permitting only the ‘safest’ people to carry,” the AGs noted.

The letter concluded:

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.

While suppressors have lately been in the spotlight because of Congress moving legislation to remove them from the NFA, the NRA remains committed to achieving the goal of interstate reciprocity for concealed carry. The AGs’ letter represents an important milestone illustrating the broad support and success concealed carry has achieved in the states. Hopefully Congress is paying attention and will finally catch up to the states in recognizing this fundamental aspect of Second Amendment rights and, indeed, of the American experience.  

In the meantime, the NRA thanks Attorneys General Drummond and McCuskey as well as the rest of the signatories for their leadership in this important effort. 

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North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Last week the North Carolina General Assembly briefly returned from recess and re-referred Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to the House Rules Committee.

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Yesterday, in Butler v. Bondi, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama held that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its statutory authority by issuing its 2024 Final Rule expanding ...

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

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Monday, September 29, 2025

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

There have been multiple developments on the Canadian gun grab and ban in the last few days, but the most astounding has got to be a leaked bombshell recording of the Liberal Public Safety Minister, ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Friday, October 3, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Yesterday, the National Rifle Association filed an amicus brief in Knife Rights, Inc. v. Bondi, urging the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas’s decision upholding the Federal ...

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

Last Monday, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule that reversed a crackdown on the commercial export of firearms from the U.S. to other countries.

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that Americans know the President Donald Trump-led Republican Party has a better plan than their Democratic Party opponents on crime and gun control.

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

California officials’ egregious foot-dragging over the issuance of carry permits has finally attracted the ire of the federal Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

There’s an old saying that rings especially true to Second Amendment supporters: If you don’t read the news, you’re uninformed.

Canada’s Gun Grab: Amnesty Expiration Approaches as Top Officials Sow Confusion

News  

Monday, September 22, 2025

Canada’s Gun Grab: Amnesty Expiration Approaches as Top Officials Sow Confusion

Canada’s Liberal government has consistently and misleadingly used “buyback” to describe the 2020 mandatory “assault weapon” confiscation law, in an attempt to make the scheme appear less hostile to property rights and Canada’s responsible gun ...

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Hawaii’s Private Property Default Carry Ban

Friday, October 3, 2025

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Hawaii’s Private Property Default Carry Ban

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the petition for certiorari in Wolford v. Lopez, a challenge to Hawaii’s law forbidding carry on private property open to the public (such as restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores) ...

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.