WASHINGTON -- The House on Wednesday gave gun rights advocates their first legislative win of the year in a move some saw as a GOP back flip on states' rights: approval of a federal law that would require states that issue concealed-weapons permits to honor such permits from other states.
The GOP-led chamber approved the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, intended to allow gun owners to travel more easily from state to state without worrying about whether their concealed-carry permit was valid.
The legislation had bipartisan support in the House, where it passed 272-154, with 229 Republicans and 43 Democrats voting yes. The legislation is not expected to be taken up by the Democratic-led Senate, where a similar measure failed in 2009.
Opponents saw a conflict with another GOP priority: states' rights. They argued that the proposed law would override state laws that determine who should be allow to carry a concealed weapon.
The debate put the spotlight on the familiar tug of war between state and federal power, but it was somewhat unusual to see Republicans supporting the federal side. Proponents said the action was merely an attempt to bring clarity to a complicated system of permit reciprocity - a move similar to requiring that state driver's licenses be recognized in all states.
Forty states already allow some form of concealed-weapons-permits reciprocity, advocates said. "The simple right to defend yourself and loved ones from criminals is fundamental, and it doesn't extinguish when you cross a state border," said Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., who sponsored the bill.
The reciprocity would apply in the 49 states that currently issue concealed-carry permits. Gun owners would not be able to carry in Illinois, the sole state that does not issue any such permit.
