"There now are 200 Members of Congress cosponsoring a bipartisan national CCW reciprocity bill offered by Reps. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and Heath Shuler (D-NC)," gun rights expert John M. Snyder said here today.

"It's time for Congress to move forward on H.R. 822, the proposed National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011," he added. "It would provide a national standard with which nonresidents of a state may carry concealed firearms in the state."

"An individual who has a state-issued permit to carry a concealed firearm ought to be able to carry in any state in accordance with the law," Snyder said. "This would be similar to the way an individual with a driver's license issued by a state can drive in other states."

"Such a law would benefit society as well as the individual," he said. "As John R. Lott, Jr. has pointed out in his study More Guns Less Crime, rates of violent crime drop precipitously in jurisdictions adopting CCW laws.

"The states recognize this. At least eighty percent of them have such laws on the books. Members of Congress know this. Several have indicated the personal possibility of utilizing the benefits of CCW laws. In addition to Shuler, these include Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Allen West (R-FL), and Renee Ellmers (R-NC)."

Snyder said "gun-grabbing politicians and media extremists try to manipulate the criminal use of firearms by a few into a platform. They try to use this platform to generate public support for limits on the gun rights of all law-abiding citizens. They appear practically to salivate when an individual misuses a gun in a particularly heinous manner. They're bent on undermining the individual Second Amendment civil right of law-abiding American citizens to keep and bear arms.

"The people aren't buying their junk. Polls show declining support for gun control laws and increasing support for the gun rights of all Americans. Legal purchases of guns and ammunition are at record levels. About 100 million Americans own over 200 million rifles, shotguns and handguns."

Snyder said "what's missing is a law enabling citizens with state-issued CCW permits to carry guns throughout the United States. It's time to close this loophole in the right to self-defense."

The recognition of our right to carry firearms has been steadily increasing.  Our freedom to protect ourselves and our families is growing across the country.  With only two states without some form of concealed carry, Illinois and Wisconsin, this bill would greatly expand our freedom as citizens.  Although the CCW bill was defeated narrowly in Illinois, things are moving forward with legislation in Wisconsin and Illinois will join the rest of the country eventually.

The states that would be against this law are those that have a "may" issue versus a "shall" issue permitting process.  The difference beging that in shall issue states, unless there is a specific reason to not grant the permit or license to the citizens it must be granted.  In may issue states it is up to the discretion of the police to choose who among the citizenry is granted the privilege of defending themselves and who is left to the mercy of criminals.  While the Brady campaign to reduce freedom couches this as giving police extra discretion to protect against citizens they believe to pose a danger, the reality is that the right to carry becomes a political favor granted to the connected.  Carrying firearms is a right NOT a privilege left to the whims of the state.  It would be wonderful to see what would happen in NJ or NY should HR 822 pass.