Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Begich (D-AK), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) have introduced the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012. According to the press releases (see below), it is similar to HR 822 which passed the House of Representatives on November 16, 2011 on a 272-154 rollcall vote. That bill is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee awaiting hearings.

The text of the Senate bill is not yet available on the Library of Congress’s website. I have to assume that it is very similar – if not exactly the same – to what was passed in the House. A bill passed in the House does not need a similar bill introduced in the Senate though it is common practice. Given that, would not it just be easier to work with the bill that has already passed one house of Congress? To my way of thinking it provides less chance of having to reconcile vastly differing bills in a conference committee where the final bill could be watered down to merely a feel-good measure.

That said, this bill does have the endorsement of the NRA. If giving some pro-gun Democrats cover is the price we need to pay, I can live with that.

From Begich’s press release:

In an effort to remove burdensome red tape that hampers the ability of legal concealed carry permit holders to carry concealed firearms into other states that allow them, a bi-partisan group of Senators has introduced the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012. A similar bill passed the House last year with a vote of 272-164.

The Senate bill, endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), is sponsored by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).

Under the legislation, an individual with a valid ID and concealed carry permit would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun into any state that has a statute permitting residents to carry concealed firearms, or that does not explicitly prohibit them.

The legislation also says an individual who is ineligible for a concealed carry permit in his or her state would not be allowed to obtain an out-of-state permit in a state with less restrictive eligibility requirements in order to use that permit in his or her own state.

“I’m leading the effort to provide consistency so law-abiding gun owners can carry concealed firearms in every state that permits them without having to navigate confusing rules and regulations in different states,” Begich said. “The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right and part of who we are as Alaskans and Americans. This bill is one more step in my ongoing efforts to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”

“This common sense legislation would cut down on the layers of regulations facing law-abiding Americans who have the right to own guns and use them responsibly,” Manchin said. “If we can streamline and simplify some of our rules governing gun ownership, everybody wins – especially the 65,000 West Virginians who hold concealed carry permits.”

“This legislation respects the rights of law-abiding citizens by allowing them to defend themselves across state lines,” Crapo said. “Most importantly, they would still have to comply with all the firearms laws of the state in which they travel. The act facilitates the ability of states to design a system for concealed-carrier firearms in a fair way, while protecting the rights of states to honor all of their firearms laws.”

The executive director for the NRA’s Institute for Legislation Action, Chris Cox, praised the Senators for introducing the bill and said it is critical to protect Second Amendment rights.

“Over the last two decades, the NRA has led the way toward a brick-by-brick restoration of self-defense laws throughout the country. National Right-to-Carry reciprocity is yet another step forward for law-abiding Americans,” Cox said. “Citizens aren’t immune to crime when they cross state lines, so it is only reasonable that they have an effective means of protecting themselves and their loved ones while in other states. The NRA thanks Senator Mark Begich for introducing this measure in the U.S. Senate, along with Senators Joe Manchin and Mike Crapo, for their efforts to strengthen self-defense laws in America.”

From Manchin’s press release:

Washington, D.C. — In an effort to remove burdensome red tape that limits the ability of legal concealed carry permit holders to carry concealed firearms into other states that allow them, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has joined a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012.

Under the legislation, an individual with a valid ID and concealed carry permit would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun into any state that allows residents to carry concealed firearms.

“This commonsense legislation would cut down on the layers of regulations facing law-abiding Americans who have the right to own guns and use them responsibly,” Senator Manchin said. “If we can streamline and simplify some of our rules governing gun ownership, everybody wins – especially the 65,000 West Virginians who hold concealed carry permits.”

The legislation also says an individual who is ineligible for a concealed carry permit in his or her state would not be allowed to obtain an out-of-state permit in a state with less restrictive eligibility requirements, and use that permit to carry a concealed handgun in his or her state.

The Senate bill, endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), is also sponsored by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). A similar bill passed the House last year with a vote of 272-164.

The executive director for the NRA’s Institute for Legislation Action, Chris Cox, praised the Senators for introducing the bill and said it is critical to protect Second Amendment rights.

“Over the last two decades, the NRA has led the way toward a brick-by-brick restoration of self-defense laws throughout the country. National Right-to-Carry reciprocity is yet another step forward for law-abiding Americans,” Cox said. “Citizens aren’t immune to crime when they cross state lines, so it is only reasonable that they have an effective means of protecting themselves and their loved ones while in other states. The NRA thanks Senator Mark Begich for introducing this measure in the U.S. Senate, along with Sens. Joe Manchin and Mike Crapo, and for their efforts to strengthen self-defense laws in America.”

UPDATE: From the NRA on S. 2188 which they say is a companion bill to HR 822.

Fairfax, Va. – Senate Bill 2188, an important self-defense bill that would enable millions of Right-to-Carry permit holders across the country to carry concealed firearms while traveling outside their home states, was introduced in the U.S. Senate today. S. 2188 is the companion legislation to H.R. 822, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on November 16, 2011 by a majority bipartisan vote of 272 to 154.

“Over the last two decades, the NRA has led the way toward a brick-by-brick restoration of self-defense laws throughout the country. National Right-to-Carry reciprocity is yet another step forward for law-abiding Americans,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director for NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “Citizens aren’t immune from crime when they cross state lines, so it is only reasonable that they have an effective means of protecting themselves and their loved ones while in other states. The introduction of S. 2188 is a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to improve self-defense laws in this country.”

S. 2188, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Joe Manchin III (D-WV), would allow any person with a valid state-issued concealed firearm permit to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that issues concealed firearm permits, or does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms for lawful purposes.

This bill does not affect existing state laws. State laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within each state’s borders. S. 2188 does not create a federal licensing system or impose federal standards on state permits; rather, it requires the states to recognize each others’ carry permits, just as they recognize drivers’ licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards.

As of today, 49 states have laws in place that permit their citizens to carry a concealed firearm in some form. Only Illinois and the District of Columbia deny its residents the right to carry concealed firearms outside their homes or businesses for self-defense.

Here is a link to the full text of S. 2188 thanks to Inquisitor (see comments). For comparison, here is a link to the full text of HR 822 as it passed the House of Representatives.