About three months ago, I got to thinking about this. I even wrote a
letter to my representative urging him to introduce a bill to enforce reciprocity. Printed it out, proofread it, and go to thinking about it. I came up with several of the issues mentioned here. I did a little soul-searching, and re-read the Constitution, and I've decided that I can send that letter in good conscience.
Here's why:
Yes, this gets the Feds into my holster. Thing is, they're already there. The Second Amendment (most definitely a federal law) puts them there. The Constitution has generally been held as binding on the states as well. This law wouldn't restrict us, it would enhance our freedom. Yes, it's a tacit admission that the states can require permits for concealed carry, but that's a debate we're not likely to win any time soon, at least not in most jurisdictions.
I also struggled with the question of states' rights. That question took a little more thought, but I decided that it, too, could be reconciled with the Constitution. I don't even have to go to the Amendments to support it; Article IV, Section One requires that "Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State." If marriage licenses and drivers' licenses are bound by this provision, why not self-defense licenses (as galling as that term is)?
Yes, I understand the concerns expressed here, and I do sympathize with them. In this case, though, I think such a provision would be Constitutionally sound. I'd welcome any challenges to that position to find anything I might have overlooked; if you agree with me, please feel free to use my letter as a model for one of your own, if you wish. I'm not going to send it right away (I have another one going out tomorrow in support of HR 47, as discussed
here, and I don't want to bring too much up at one time), but anybody who wants to do so is encouraged to.