Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
For years, gun owners have lived under a patchwork of carry laws that seem more like traps than public safety tools.
President Trump has repeatedly said that your Second Amendment rights don’t end at the state line. And with HR38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, finally gaining momentum again, the opposition is coming from a surprising place.
Anti-gun groups like Giffords are expected. But this time, major police unions are lining up beside them, trying to stop law-abiding Americans from carrying across state lines.
And according to Gun Owners of America (GOA), their arguments fall apart the moment you examine them.
HR38 is simple: if you can legally carry in your home state, whether with a permit or through constitutional carry, you can carry in every other state.
It puts concealed carry on the same footing as a driver’s license, instead of a “second-class right” that changes the moment you cross an invisible line on the map.
Bruen already forced anti-gun states to start issuing permits, but reciprocity remains the final barrier that still turns innocent travel into potential felony territory.
So why are police unions trying to stop it?
In a joint letter, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police claimed that reciprocity will endanger officers, override local standards, prevent arrests, weaken Gun-Free School Zones, and make their jobs harder.
SEE ALSO: SIG FOXTROT Lights Tested Hard at 75 Yards
But none of those claims match reality.
These groups made the same predictions in every state that adopted constitutional carry, and not one of those “blood in the streets” forecasts ever materialized.
Meanwhile, surveys of police chiefs, sheriffs, and rank-and-file officers consistently show strong support for armed citizens and for the right to carry.
The unions also say HR38 takes away their ability to enforce their own state standards. But states don’t get to override the Constitution with arbitrary magazine bans, ammo restrictions, or permit hoops designed to keep ordinary people disarmed.
What’s even stranger is that the same police unions loudly endorsed the LEOSA Reform Act, which overrides state standards for law enforcement and even allows carry in federal buildings.
So bypassing state laws is fine… as long as it only benefits them. When it benefits the public, suddenly it’s a crisis.
Their arrest claims are also misleading. HR38 only prevents officers from arresting a lawful concealed carrier for lawful carry.
It does nothing to stop police from arresting prohibited persons, criminals, impaired drivers, or anyone committing an actual crime. And their officer-safety argument relies on statistics that have nothing to do with concealed carriers or reciprocity.
In fact, there are countless examples of armed citizens saving officers’ lives, something these unions never seem eager to highlight.
The real sticking point appears to be qualified immunity. HR38 removes that shield when an officer clearly violates a gun owner’s established constitutional rights.
SEE ALSO: Beretta 20X vs 21A Bobcat: The Tip Up Showdown
Police unions don’t want their members exposed to liability for wrongful arrests in anti-gun jurisdictions, exactly the kind of abuse reciprocity is designed to prevent.
That’s why this fight matters. HR38 doesn’t create new rights. It protects the ones already guaranteed.
A national, constitutionally protected right shouldn’t vanish at a state border because a bureaucrat in Albany or Sacramento thinks your permit somehow expires at the welcome sign.
Reciprocity means law-abiding citizens can defend themselves without fear of political “gotchas,” and it means the 2A finally gets treated like the real, nationwide right it is.
If your congressman needs encouragement, you know the number: 202-224-3121. Let them know it’s time to bring HR38 to the floor and end this nonsense once and for all.
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! ***
Available on GunsAmerica Now
is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
Experience:
– Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper – Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.
– Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS & AZ) – Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.
– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
– Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) – Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.
– Field-Tested Gear Reviewer – Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.
I’m 78 years old two tours Vietnam i have to go ask a 19 year old leftist for permission to carry 😅 🙃 🙂
These are the same people that were screaming “the sky is falling” 30+ years ago when the right AND the left sent a clear message to politicians the 2nd amendment was important to anyone with half a brain and fully understand the importance of it. Especially since the left as promoted total anarchy since then, even cutting the police forces country-wide. Why else have gun sells and CCW’s soared?
The harder the left pushes for gun control, the more it back-fires on their agenda.
Because police unions are NOT about policing, just like teacher’s unions are NOT about teaching or education.
They are about biased/preferred government behavior toward them, occasionally their members.
Police officers generally have different opinions than these government-loving, totalitarian unions. “More stealing from you, for me”
“So why are police unions trying to stop it?”
Seriously? Have you ever seen any union that is dedicated to anything but enriching and aggrandizing the officers and administrators of the union?
It’s stalled in the Senate because they need 60 votes to pass it and the Democrats are not going to comply. If they got rid of the filibuster and went to a simple majority, then it would pass along party lines.
Reciprocity should be a non-issue. The right to travel and the right to keep and bear arms dovetail in this respect. They are trampling on both with 2nd amendment laws changing not only by state, but sometimes by county and even city.
Police unions are anti-gun. When constitutional carry was passed in my state the highway patrol opposed it and said there would be “blood in the streets” that has still never happened.
Exactly! “THE SKY IS FALLING – THE SKY IS FALLING…” The sun still shines brightly over my house!
The rank and file police officers do not object to HB 38. The leaders, and only the leader, of police unions oppose such bills, because their position in a national organization, is a political job, and they take a position based on politics, not based on what their members think or want! Reading the objections of the FOP (I was a 24 year member), they sound as if they were written no by the FOP, but by an anti-2A group such as the Brady people, or the EveryTtown group.
im a US citizen, born and raised, and as a veteran i support reciprocity in all 50 states plus territories. im also a CCW holder. i look forward to a time when i can cross state lines and not have to worry about which jurisdiction im in and what violations i will be prosecuted for. an armed citizen is the best deterrent for the current state of our society and especially since we have had our borders open for the last 4+ years. Cops cant be everywhere so we need to protect ourselves. Regardless of who is in office the 2nd amendment to the Constitution in an inalienable right and i shouldnt need anyone’s permission to protect myself, my family or my property. I feel very blessed to live in the USA where we have God given rights. Back the Blue!! but be responsible and be armed and stay vigilant.
Why do they oppose it
UNIONS
Destroying town cities and states
Yet half these supposed union douchebags don’t drive American cars or trucks don’t buy American boots
I’m in construction I see it for over decades
Hypocrites
There is no reason for HR38 to remove qualified immunity.
The whole thing is a red herring.
Whoever wrote HR38 knew that if they included the bit about qualified immunity, police unions would oppose it. That would help kill the bill. So they get credit for “trying” to give you reciprocity without actually doing it.
Qualified immunity is the single most misunderstood, and misrepresented topic in law enforcement.
National reciprocity sounds great, on the surface. My concern it that “what the fed giveth, the fed can taketh away.” I have belief that Missouri will remain a pro 2nd, pro carry state. The federal government not much faith in. A national recirocity law may be corrupted by anti ginners to have impossible hoops to jump through. Such as: 50 rounds in a 5 inch group at 50yds. $2000 price tag. Must get separate permit for each firearm that you want to carry. Or listing of your “allowed” firearms.
Nope not for me.
why? because they support the left and their agendas.
i will say i wouldn’t trust any commie state to obey the law and would be leery to carry in those states.