Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill Advances in House

H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025, cleared committee on March 25 and is now headed to the full House for a vote. The bill would require every state to honor the concealed carry permits—or permitless carry status—of any other state, meaning an Idahoan with a permit could legally carry in California, New York, or D.C.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and has picked up 189 cosponsors—188 Republicans and one Democrat. GovTrack puts its odds of becoming law at 37%, well above the roughly 21% baseline for bills that make it out of committee.

The big picture: Right now, your Idaho permit means nothing the moment you cross into one of the 21 states that don't honor it—and that list includes some of the most-traveled corridors in the country.

• At least 10 states, including California, Oregon, New York, and D.C., recognize zero out-of-state permits under any circumstances.
• If H.R. 38 passes, that patchwork disappears—your carry rights follow you across state lines the way your driver's license does.
• The bill also covers residents of the 29 permitless carry states, who currently must obtain a separate permit just to carry legally while traveling.

The Jeanine Pirro controversy threw fuel on the fire. The U.S. Attorney for D.C.—a Trump appointee—went on Fox News and said flat-out that anyone bringing a gun into the District should "count on going to jail," regardless of whether they're licensed elsewhere. Gun rights groups lit up. The NRA posted a call for Congress to pass H.R. 38 within hours. Gun Owners of America pointed out that permit holders are statistically among the most law-abiding people in the country.

The intrigue: The Pirro episode is exactly the scenario H.R. 38 is designed to fix—and it landed at exactly the right moment politically.

• Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) said publicly that he carries into D.C. every week and dared Pirro to stop him.
• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) noted that D.C. has been "shall issue" since 2017, meaning non-residents can get a D.C. permit—but the process is opaque enough that most carriers don't know it.
• The blowback from Pirro's comments is likely to push fence-sitting House members toward the bill rather than away from it.

What Idaho owners should know: State destination laws still apply under the bill's language. If Michigan bans carry in bars and churches, a Louisiana visitor still has to follow Michigan's rules—the bill only transfers recognition of the permit itself, not a blanket override of local restrictions. Reciprocity is not a universal pass.

Yes, but: Opponents are framing it differently. Everytown and allied groups argue the bill would allow people from no-permit states to carry in strict states without ever having passed a background check, completed safety training, or demonstrated basic firearm competence. The Senate companion bill is S. 65.

What to watch: The bill still needs a floor vote in the House, then has to pass the Senate and land on the President's desk. The Senate is the tougher climb—60 votes are needed to break a filibuster, and Democratic opposition is near-unanimous. Whether Republican leadership moves it as a standalone bill or tries to attach it to a larger package will likely determine its fate this session.

• Key date: The committee report was issued March 25, 2025—the bill is now eligible for floor scheduling at House leadership's discretion.
• Senate: S. 65 is the companion bill; no committee vote has been reported yet.

Go deeper:

• https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr38
• https://www.thetrace.org/2025/12/concealed-carry-reciprocity-gun-law/
• https://www.newsweek.com/jeanine-pirro-threat-gun-owners-sparks-anger-maga-republicans-11456689
• https://www.newsweek.com/jeanine-pirro-reacts-to-maga-and-gop-fury-over-gun-remarks-11459264
• https://www.everytown.org/concealed-carry-reciprocity-federal-mandate-risks/