Why Do Police Unions Oppose Reciprocity?

For years, gun owners have lived under a patchwork of carry laws that seem more like traps than public safety tools.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to follow and signup for notifications!

President Trump has repeatedly said that your Second Amendment rights don’t end at the state line. And with HR38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, finally gaining momentum again, the opposition is coming from a surprising place.

Anti-gun groups like Giffords are expected. But this time, major police unions are lining up beside them, trying to stop law-abiding Americans from carrying across state lines.

And according to Gun Owners of America (GOA), their arguments fall apart the moment you examine them.

HR38 is simple: if you can legally carry in your home state, whether with a permit or through constitutional carry, you can carry in every other state.

It puts concealed carry on the same footing as a driver’s license, instead of a “second-class right” that changes the moment you cross an invisible line on the map.

Bruen already forced anti-gun states to start issuing permits, but reciprocity remains the final barrier that still turns innocent travel into potential felony territory.

So why are police unions trying to stop it?

In a joint letter, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police claimed that reciprocity will endanger officers, override local standards, prevent arrests, weaken Gun-Free School Zones, and make their jobs harder.

But none of those claims match reality.

These groups made the same predictions in every state that adopted constitutional carry, and not one of those “blood in the streets” forecasts ever materialized.

Meanwhile, surveys of police chiefs, sheriffs, and rank-and-file officers consistently show strong support for armed citizens and for the right to carry.

The unions also say HR38 takes away their ability to enforce their own state standards. But states don’t get to override the Constitution with arbitrary magazine bans, ammo restrictions, or permit hoops designed to keep ordinary people disarmed.

What’s even stranger is that the same police unions loudly endorsed the LEOSA Reform Act, which overrides state standards for law enforcement and even allows carry in federal buildings.

So bypassing state laws is fine… as long as it only benefits them. When it benefits the public, suddenly it’s a crisis.

Their arrest claims are also misleading. HR38 only prevents officers from arresting a lawful concealed carrier for lawful carry.

It does nothing to stop police from arresting prohibited persons, criminals, impaired drivers, or anyone committing an actual crime. And their officer-safety argument relies on statistics that have nothing to do with concealed carriers or reciprocity.

In fact, there are countless examples of armed citizens saving officers’ lives, something these unions never seem eager to highlight.

The real sticking point appears to be qualified immunity. HR38 removes that shield when an officer clearly violates a gun owner’s established constitutional rights.

Police unions don’t want their members exposed to liability for wrongful arrests in anti-gun jurisdictions, exactly the kind of abuse reciprocity is designed to prevent.

That’s why this fight matters. HR38 doesn’t create new rights. It protects the ones already guaranteed.

A national, constitutionally protected right shouldn’t vanish at a state border because a bureaucrat in Albany or Sacramento thinks your permit somehow expires at the welcome sign.

Reciprocity means law-abiding citizens can defend themselves without fear of political “gotchas,” and it means the 2A finally gets treated like the real, nationwide right it is.

If your congressman needs encouragement, you know the number: 202-224-3121. Let them know it’s time to bring HR38 to the floor and end this nonsense once and for all.

*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! ***