Fraternal Order of Police Urges Congress to Reject National Reciprocity
The National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), together with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), sent a letter to Congress urging them to reject national reciprocity for concealed carry.
The legislation, H.R. 38, is sponsored by Rep. Richard Hudson (R) and would treat the concealed carry license of any one state as valid in the other 49.
H.R. 38 is titled the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.”
According to the FOP/IACP, “The legislation exempts any person with a valid photographic identification from state or local firearms law who asserts that they are lawfully carrying a firearm under the laws of their own state of residence.”
In a later paragraph, the FOP/IACP wrote:
The bill goes further and provides that any person “who is deprived of any right, privilege, or immunity” may sue a law enforcement officer, who would not be afforded qualified immunity. This makes it impossible for an officer to conduct any investigation with respect to ascertaining if the person is in fact compliant with the firearms law in their state of residence. It would also expose the officer to civil liability if, for example, they were to secure the firearm while they conducted an investigation into other suspected criminal activity.
They claimed that national reciprocity for concealed carry would impact officers’ safety, and it “jeopardizes qualified immunity.” Concerning the latter, they wrote, “Qualified immunity protects officers from civil liability unless they violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights. Any action the officer may take in reaction to the knowledge that the person they have encountered is armed could place that officer in very real legal peril.”
On November 14, 2025, Breitbart News reported that Gabby Giffords’ gun control group, Giffords, broke out adjectives and described H.R. 38 as a “dangerous bill” that “extremists” are pushing in order to carry “hidden guns.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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