Concealed carry law reciprocation

In 2013 a single mother of two from Philadelphia innocently ran afoul of New Jersey's concealed carry law. During a routine traffic stop Shareen Allen "voluntarily and honestly" informed the arresting officer that she "had a handgun in her vehicle and presented her concealed carry permit for Pennsylvania." Her concealed carry permit was invalid in New Jersey. Allen was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, a felony with a possible three-year prison sentence.

Senate Bill 446, the "Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017" simply states that concealed carry permit holders may carry concealed weapons in any state with the same privileges as that state's concealed carry permittee. This will provide equal treatment under the law of concealed carry permit holders across the entire United States. This is like having a driver's license issued in one state and it is valid in all 50 states.

In a report on concealed carry by the Crime Prevention Research Center, "Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States," Dr. John Lott states that "it is impossible to think of any other group in the U.S. who is anywhere near as law abiding" as concealed carry holders. He goes on to say that firearms violations for permit holders in Florida and Texas are one-seventh that of law enforcement officers and that this holds true in other states.

It's time to stop treating concealed carry holders as criminals.

ESTHER BOHNERT, Jackson