H.R. 822 is the National Right to Carry Reciprocity bill. It does not in any way create a Federal right to carry law (which many, including me, feel would not be a good idea).
Instead, this bill would require that all states honor any other state's CDW, just as they honor driver's licenses issued by other states. The bill has the backing of the NRA and most holders of a CDW permit who travel outside their home state.
My representative is a co-sponsor of the bill (along with 162 other representatives) however the bill is stuck in one of the Judiciary committee's subcommittees chaired by Wisconsin's Jim Sensenbrenner.
Until this bill is brought forward by Mr. Sensenbrenner, it will not be voted on in his subcommittee, nor debated and voted on by the full Judiciary committee, both of which have to happen before it gets an up or down vote by the full house (where it would likely pass.)
Mr Sennenbrenner will not accept emails from anyone outside of the 5th district of Wisconsin and states on his website that you must contact him through your own representative if you want to make him aware of anything important to you.
I have done as he requires and below is an email I sent to my representative here in Kentucky.
If you strip out the personal parts, you should be able to copy/paste some of the other points into an email to your own representative.
This bill is very important to all of us that carry concealed and travel. Ultimately, it could also have a very beneficial side benefit if passed because it would give citizens in states like New Jersey, Massachusetts (and others where it is almost impossible to obtain a permit) a way to protest that out of state permit holders have rights in their state that are denied to them.
In any event, please take the time to contact your representative and ask him or her to intercede in your behalf with Representative Sensenbrenner to get this bill scheduled for debate and a vote in subcommittee.
Here is what I wrote:
Hello Representative Davis.
I am writing to ask that you, as a co-sponsor of H.R. 822, request
Representative James Sensenbrenner move H.R. 822 forward in his
subcommittee.
I am a holder of a Kentucky Concealed Deadly Weapons license and I often
visit my daughter who lives in New York state, on Long Island.
In order to visit her and my grandchildren, my wife and I must travel
through New Jersey and New York but neither state
honors my Kentucky CDW license.
As a matter of fact, even if I transport a firearm unloaded and locked in
the trunk of my car, I still risk imprisonment in both of these states since
US code 926A requires that I be transporting a firearm "...for any lawful
purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm
to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm" and
the "lawfully possess and carry" requirement negates any right to transport
a firearm in or through either state since my ultimate destination (New
York) is not a place where I can lawfully possess and carry a firearm given
they will not honor my Kentucky license.
Also, obtaining a New York concealed carry permit is not an option given the
state of New York will not issue a CDW permit to me unless I own property or
a business in their state or have an extremely compelling reason for requesting such a permit beyond personal protection.
As far as these two states are concerned, I am therefore no different than a
common street thug, illegally possessing a firearm, and both will not
hesitate to arrest and imprison me when they learn that my ultimate
destination is New York.
I cannot understand how the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S.
Constitution does not prima-facie require that all states honor a properly
issued concealed weapon permit obtained from another state, just as each
state honors driver's licenses properly issued by another state.
Apparently however, I would have to be arrested in order to have standing to
test this contention in Federal court and being imprisoned for several years
in order to have standing to contest my belief that my constitutional rights
are being violated is not my idea of a good time.
This leaves H.R. 822 as my best vehicle to remove this apparent abridgment
of a constitutional right.
Since Mr. Sensenbrenner requires that I write to him only through my
representative, I ask that you contact him on my behalf and request that he
schedule this bill for action so that it might be reported out of
subcommittee for consideration by the full Judiciary committee and
subsequently receive an up or down vote by the full House of
Representatives.
Thank you for any assistance you may be able to provide.
Sincerely,
Instead, this bill would require that all states honor any other state's CDW, just as they honor driver's licenses issued by other states. The bill has the backing of the NRA and most holders of a CDW permit who travel outside their home state.
My representative is a co-sponsor of the bill (along with 162 other representatives) however the bill is stuck in one of the Judiciary committee's subcommittees chaired by Wisconsin's Jim Sensenbrenner.
Until this bill is brought forward by Mr. Sensenbrenner, it will not be voted on in his subcommittee, nor debated and voted on by the full Judiciary committee, both of which have to happen before it gets an up or down vote by the full house (where it would likely pass.)
Mr Sennenbrenner will not accept emails from anyone outside of the 5th district of Wisconsin and states on his website that you must contact him through your own representative if you want to make him aware of anything important to you.
I have done as he requires and below is an email I sent to my representative here in Kentucky.
If you strip out the personal parts, you should be able to copy/paste some of the other points into an email to your own representative.
This bill is very important to all of us that carry concealed and travel. Ultimately, it could also have a very beneficial side benefit if passed because it would give citizens in states like New Jersey, Massachusetts (and others where it is almost impossible to obtain a permit) a way to protest that out of state permit holders have rights in their state that are denied to them.
In any event, please take the time to contact your representative and ask him or her to intercede in your behalf with Representative Sensenbrenner to get this bill scheduled for debate and a vote in subcommittee.
Here is what I wrote:
Hello Representative Davis.
I am writing to ask that you, as a co-sponsor of H.R. 822, request
Representative James Sensenbrenner move H.R. 822 forward in his
subcommittee.
I am a holder of a Kentucky Concealed Deadly Weapons license and I often
visit my daughter who lives in New York state, on Long Island.
In order to visit her and my grandchildren, my wife and I must travel
through New Jersey and New York but neither state
honors my Kentucky CDW license.
As a matter of fact, even if I transport a firearm unloaded and locked in
the trunk of my car, I still risk imprisonment in both of these states since
US code 926A requires that I be transporting a firearm "...for any lawful
purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm
to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm" and
the "lawfully possess and carry" requirement negates any right to transport
a firearm in or through either state since my ultimate destination (New
York) is not a place where I can lawfully possess and carry a firearm given
they will not honor my Kentucky license.
Also, obtaining a New York concealed carry permit is not an option given the
state of New York will not issue a CDW permit to me unless I own property or
a business in their state or have an extremely compelling reason for requesting such a permit beyond personal protection.
As far as these two states are concerned, I am therefore no different than a
common street thug, illegally possessing a firearm, and both will not
hesitate to arrest and imprison me when they learn that my ultimate
destination is New York.
I cannot understand how the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S.
Constitution does not prima-facie require that all states honor a properly
issued concealed weapon permit obtained from another state, just as each
state honors driver's licenses properly issued by another state.
Apparently however, I would have to be arrested in order to have standing to
test this contention in Federal court and being imprisoned for several years
in order to have standing to contest my belief that my constitutional rights
are being violated is not my idea of a good time.
This leaves H.R. 822 as my best vehicle to remove this apparent abridgment
of a constitutional right.
Since Mr. Sensenbrenner requires that I write to him only through my
representative, I ask that you contact him on my behalf and request that he
schedule this bill for action so that it might be reported out of
subcommittee for consideration by the full Judiciary committee and
subsequently receive an up or down vote by the full House of
Representatives.
Thank you for any assistance you may be able to provide.
Sincerely,
