Breitbart News sat down to discuss national reciprocity with Rep. Richard Hudson on Thursday (R-NC) and he revealed a big development in his recent bill on the matter means it enjoys bipartisan support.
On January 8, 2025, Breitbart News reported Hudson’s introduction of H.R. 38, titled the Constitutional Carry Reciprocity Act.
Hudson’s Act would create a scenario in which concealed carry permits are treated like driver’s licenses, in that a permit from any one state would be valid in the other 49. Moreover, as the title of the act suggests, Hudson’s legislation means residents of states with constitutional carry would, having proved their state residency, be able to carry constitutionally throughout the country.
We talked to Hudson about these things, asking him for the latest developments, and he said, “Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) supports the legislation, so it is now bipartisan. And I imagine there are a few more Democrats from whom we’ll get support.”
When we reported Hudson’s legislation on January 8, the number of House members supporting the Act was somewhere in the neighborhood of 120, it is now at 163.
RELATED — Hawkins: Why Residents of Constitutional Carry States Might Still Need Permits
We asked Hudson why national reciprocity is so important and he said: “The Second Amendment shouldn’t stop at state lines and law-abiding citizens are being made criminals everyday by a hodgepodge of confusing laws. H.R. 38 fixes this by saying every state needs to recognize a concealed carry permit or the recognition of a state if they have constitutional carry. Every state ought to recognize it just like they recognize a driver’s license.”
He added, “When I drive from North Carolina to DC, I don’t have stop at the Virginia line to take a Virginia driver’s license test.”
When asked what supporters of national reciprocity need to do to help get this legislation across the finish line, Hudson said, “They’ve got to let their members of Congress and Senators know how important this is to them. Whether its calling their offices, whether its writing them a letter–and those handwritten letters are a lot better than form letters in some email. The opportunity is now and we’ve got to do it.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly:
