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Oppose Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity

This is about State sovereignty to determine local gun safety laws and norms

Please write to your Federal Lawmakers and ask them to oppose the "Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act" (H.R. 38 /S. 65). Everytown for Gun Safety advocates say, "Congress Is Trying to Pass a Dangerous Federal Concealed Carry Mandate."

This request comes in solidarity with the UU Legislative Ministry of Maryland, i.e., the UU State Action Network of Maryland, which is profoundly concerned about the implications for state sovereignty and autonomy in determining what gun safety policies and norms are appropriate for local communities.

If passed, the bill would:

Create a federal mandate overriding the gun laws in various states (Maryland included among these)
Force every state to recognize any other state's concealed carry standards
Require states with strong conceal standards to respect or, in effect, adopt those with weak or no standards at all.

Any state that has opted to promote pro-active, responsible gun ownership and protect public safety, using strong standards, should be alarmed. Those who have elected to provide local law enforcement with the legal tools needed to enforce that state's specific gun laws and norms should be wary.

Gun safety advocates, such as those in Maryland, believe this legislation would put various communities at greater risk of gun crime and violence, endanger law enforcement, and make it more difficult to stop the flow of illegal guns.

Maryland UUs, in coordination with UUSJ, ask you to oppose the "Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act." Please take action now.

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Advocate Testimonial:

Ken Shilling, a Gun Violence Prevention Lead Advocate in Maryland, submitted the following testimony in 2023, which has been lightly edited:

Unitarian Universalists strive to promote justice and equity for everyone. It is our collective responsibility to achieve equity and justice in society...If citizens can be gunned down at work, in school, in so many places, then citizens are not safe while pursuing their ordinary lives. I have worshiped in Maryland, knowing of potential gun threats to places of worship. I have worshiped with police protection. I shouldn’t have to.

We have more guns per capita than any other country. We have twice as many guns per capita than the citizens of rogue states, (like Sudan and Somalia) have in their Civil Wars. More guns do not make us safe. Even worse, ‘Open Carry Anywhere’ threatens our right to assemble without the threat of gun violence. While a person may intend to be a “Good Guy with a Gun,” all the people around him see is the gun.

We promote the general well-being of all people in society, and their rights to life and liberty. We support the common-sense restrictions to open-carry. People must not knowingly wear, carry, or transport firearms into places of public accommodation.

Background:

In response to their partners -- Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence -- our UUSJ allies, friends, and collaborators at the UU Legislative Ministry of Maryland, are flagging the federal bill, The “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025” (H.R. 38 / S. 65), and requesting solidarity and assistance in lifting UU voices in opposition. This federal law would significantly affect Maryland's gun laws and likely those in other states as well. The bill would force your home state to honor the "concealed carry" laws of different states, neighboring states, and even those further afield, even when those laws are nonexistent or weaker than your home state's laws.

Note, as a general rule, as at the moment, the reverse is valid for the general public. When you cross state lines, you are subject to the local gun laws of the state you are entering. The right to carry in public or to carry concealed guns in one state does not transfer to another, unless the two states have agreed otherwise.

This proposal would:

Strip states of their sovereignty to enforce clear legal tools for local public safety standards.
Preempt state laws governing who can carry a concealed firearm, overriding local state policy and obviating any bilateral pacts between states or among states in a region.
Allow out-of-state individuals to carry concealed guns in places where they would not even be allowed to buy or possess a firearm under local state law.
Expose Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) to lawsuits simply for checking whether someone is carrying a firearm legally, under the LEOs' local state law.
Undermine public safety in states with strong local standards by putting more guns in more places and perhaps without the training, background checks, or accountability measures required locally.

When it comes to gun safety standards and concealment protocols, locals know what works best for their communities. In many states, local constituencies have determined that strong firearm permitting and training laws contribute to meaningful declines in local gun violence. Nationally, research shows that permit-less, or weak, carry laws are linked to 13% more gun homicides and 29% more violent crime.

Congress should be building on what’s working - not dismantling what local state communities have decided works.

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House - Concealed Carry Mandate

Subject: Decline the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act

Message:

As your constituent and a person of faith motivated by Unitarian Universalist values, I urge you to oppose the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38). My faith calls me to promote the general well-being of all people in society, and their rights to life and liberty. And within my social networks, we support common-sense restrictions on open carry to prevent people from knowingly wearing, carrying, or transporting firearms into places of public accommodation. H.R. 38 would create a federal mandate overriding our state gun laws, forcing every state to recognize other states' concealed carry standards—including those with weak or no standards at all. That strikes me as an assault on our local autonomy and state sovereignty. It is classic federal overreach and mission creep. In the U.S., we have more guns per capita than any other country in the world. Unfortunately, we are learning that more guns do not necessarily make us safer. In my view, ‘Open Carry Anywhere’ policies increase the fear of gun violence. A state's laws should reflect its expectations of propriety and decorum, promote its responsible gun ownership norms, protect public safety in ways locals deem prudent, and provide law enforcement with the tools suited to its specific context. States have long held the power to decide which responsibilities pertain to the privilege of carrying weapons in public and where concealed firearms may not be carried. We should leave these decisions to the locals, to the states. This is not a circumstance to incentivize federal meddling.

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Senate - Concealed Carry Mandate

Subject: Decline the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act

Message:

As your constituent and a person of faith motivated by Unitarian Universalist values, I urge you to oppose the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (S. 65). My faith calls me to promote the general well-being of all people in society, and their rights to life and liberty. And within my social networks, we support common-sense restrictions on open carry to prevent people from knowingly wearing, carrying, or transporting firearms into places of public accommodation. S. 65 would create a federal mandate overriding our state gun laws, forcing every state to recognize other states' concealed carry standards—including those with weak or no standards at all. That strikes me as an assault on our local autonomy and state sovereignty. It is classic federal overreach and mission creep. In the U.S., we have more guns per capita than any other country in the world. Unfortunately, we are learning that more guns do not necessarily make us safer. In my view, ‘Open Carry Anywhere’ policies increase the fear of gun violence. A state's laws should reflect its expectations of propriety and decorum, promote its responsible gun ownership norms, protect public safety in ways locals deem prudent, and provide law enforcement with the tools suited to its specific context. States have long held the power to decide which responsibilities pertain to the privilege of carrying weapons in public and where concealed firearms may not be carried. We should leave these decisions to the locals, to the states. This is not a circumstance to incentivize federal meddling.

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Advocate Testimonial:

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