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Congress considers bills aimed at expanding rights for lawful gun owners

This week, Congress reviewed two bills aimed at expanding rights for lawful gun owners. According to a legislative expert from the National Rifle Association, one of them will be the 'most grand' achievement of the Second Amendment rights in over 20 years if passed.

Constitutional bill on the right to carry firearms

"The right to self-defense should not end simply due to crossing state lines," said John Commerford, executive director of the Congressional lobbying division of the National Rifle Association. "The passage of H.R. 38 - the reciprocity bill for carrying firearms - will be the greatest victory for gun rights in Congress since 2005, when the Legal Trade and Marketing of Firearms Act was passed."

The H.R. 38 bill, which provides for national reciprocity for carrying firearms, will allow lawful gun owners with a permit from one state to carry in another state that allows carrying but does not have rights reciprocity.

Tackling issues with the verification system

"If your name is John Smith, and you are applying for a check in the national level NICS verification system on Thanksgiving Day to purchase a firearm at a Cabela's store, you feel the weight of waiting, and often encounter errors that can restrict your right to purchase," Commerford noted.

The second bill, H.R. 2184, aims to increase rights for individuals who were denied the purchase of firearms due to errors in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). If a buyer appeals a denial on the grounds that it was erroneous, H.R. 2184 requires that federal officials make a decision on their appeal within 60 days. If no response is received within that Time frame, the gun owner may take the matter to court for a separate decision.