FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A congressman from northeastern Indiana is sponsoring a bill that would allow people who legally carry a concealed weapon in their home state to do the same in other states that allow concealed weapons.
U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman says the proposed measure would eliminate confusion among law enforcement and gun owners about which states have agreements about concealed carry laws. He also says the right to self-defense is the cornerstone of the Second Amendment.
He says the law would ensure that if you're legally carrying a concealed firearm in one state, you can do it in another. He says the bill would not force states that prohibit concealed carry to change their laws.
Similar legislation has been proposed before and failed. Seems like common sense to me, but I'm not sure the current gun control hysteria argues for introducing it now. Trying to figure out concealed-carry reciprocity when you're traveling state-to-state is tricky. (See here.) Indiana, for example, honors any valid permit issued by any other state, but only 27 other states honor our concealed-carry permits. Vermont, Alaska and Arizona don't require permits, of residents or visitors either one. Hawaii has concealed carry but does not honor any other state's concealed carry. Well, you get the idea.
