GUNS/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A convergence of state and federal legislation could ease restrictions on carrying concealed firearms nationwide, a long-sought goal of gun-rights activists that their opponents say would threaten public safety.
More states are giving their residents the right to carry a concealed handgun without permission from authorities—including two this year, bringing the total to 12—while Congress is considering legislation to make that right portable across state lines.
New Hampshire, for example, eliminated the need for permits this year, allowing anyone who can legally own a gun to carry it concealed in public.
If bills introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson (R., N.C.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) become law, a New Hampshire resident could bring his or her concealed handgun to any other state, even those such as New York that require their own residents to undergo vetting and obtain approval from law-enforcement officials for the same right.
The legislation, introduced in January, has broad support among Republicans, who hold a two-vote majority in the Senate. But it would need 60 votes for Senate passage, a steep climb in this hyperpartisan climate.”
-Joe Palazzolo, “Moves to Ease Gun-Carrying Restrictions Expand,” The Wall Street Journal online, May 16, 2017 5:30am