July 28^th, 2009

Texas has a concealed-carry law, as do 47 other states in one form or another. Texas has established a number of criteria for concealed-carry applicants.

If you meet the criteria, you still have to pass a background check, take a firearms course from a certified instructor and pass a written exam and a handgun-proficiency exam.

Different states have different requirements, some less stringent, some more so. Texas honors concealed carry permits issued by 41 other states. More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia do not honor Texas licenses.

The decision of whether to honor other states' concealed-carry licenses is one best left to the individual states. This should be a matter of states' rights, not a federal prerogative.

But some members of the Senate — including Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison — thought it would be a good idea for a concealed-carry license from one state to be valid in all states with concealed-carry laws, irrespective of individual state standards.

Worse, they tried to tack their concealed-carry reciprocity amendment onto a bill that has nothing to do with firearms statutes or inter-state issues — the 2010 defense appropriations bill.

Twenty Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid, joined 38 Republicans in supporting the measure. That was two votes short of the 60 needed to avoid a filibuster. But it was still a poor example of political posturing on an issue masquerading as one of gun rights.

Keep the federal government out of the decision-making process in Texas and other states on concealed carry. And keep amendments that aren't germane out of important legislation.