John Cornyn On His Reciprocity Bill

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced his bipartisan S. 498, The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2015, on Thursday. It currently has 16 co-sponsors including one of my own senators, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). The text of the bill is not yet available. An identical bill, HR 923, has been introduced into the House by Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN).

I have more hopes for this bill in this session of Congress than in past sessions. First, Sen. Cornyn is the Majority Whip or number two Republican in the Senate. Second, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is a co-sponsor and the bill has to go through his committee. Finally, there is a Republican majority in both houses of Congress. What happens when it hits Obama's desk is another story unless it is merged in with something he desperately wants as was carry in National Parks.

Sen. Cornyn was interviewed by Cam Edwards of NRA News regarding this bill on Friday. Among the points brought out by Cornyn are that the bill is intended to eliminate "gotcha" moments like happened to Shaneen Allen, he thought national reciprocity was analogous to how his Texas driver's license is recognized in all states, and he thought a number of Democrats will support the bill. He was less optimistic about the reception it would get from President Obama. Cornyn did say it was early in the process and that there is a need to build public opinion in support of the bill. He urged people to contact their Senators and Representatives expressing their support for this bill.