Congressman Thomas Massie opposed a concealed carry reciprocity bill that allows license holders to conceal and carry their firearms in other states that also allow concealed carry. Some may be surprised by this as the conservative has always been a firm supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but his reasoning for opposing the bill is righteous. The House decided to combine the reciprocity bill with another bill that increases background checks.
By combining the bills, the House hoped to get something passed that could also make it through the Senate. Unfortunately, doing so made the bill untenable for some conservatives who see adding more background checks as a bridge too far. I tend to agree with Massie. Here’s his video explaining why he planned on voting against the combined bill, which passed today.
House passes concealed carry gun bill
Despite bipartisan support for enhancing background checks for gun purchases, the bill passed along party lines, 231-198, due to Democratic opposition to the concealed-carry reciprocity measure.
The gun policy measures were originally two separate bills. But House GOP leaders opted to combine them so that lawmakers only had to cast one vote.
