During an Oval Office press conference on Wednesday with FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, President Trump made it clear that national reciprocity is still one of his top priorities.
According to Breitbart, President Trump attended a press conference with Patel where they discussed ways for the White House and lawmakers to make it easier to carry a gun in the U.S. National Capital for self-defense.
One reporter asked President Trump, “Could there be any further conversion to have national concealed carry apply to actual D.C., like if you have a driver license in Texas and you have a permit…”
President Trump had interjected, “As you know, they’ve been talking about for a long time, it’s an interesting question. A lot of people feel strongly both ways, but we are talking about that.”
This is not the first time that President Trump has shared his unwavering support for nationwide gun rights reciprocity. When he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2015, he made it clear that “concealed carry is a right, not a privilege.”
Breitbart reported that he explained, “The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states.”
“A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.” He added.
Earlier this year, in January, Rep. Richard Hudson introduced national reciprocity legislation, garnering bipartisan support with 163 House members in favor. Hudson’s Act would allow concealed carry permits valid in one state to be recognized in the other 49 states.
Hudson told Breitbart in an exclusive interview, “The Second Amendment shouldn’t stop at state lines, and law-abiding citizens are being made criminals everyday by a hodgepodge of confusing laws.” He added, “Every state ought to recognize it just like they recognize a driver’s license.”
