Gibbs introduces concealed carry parity bill
Congressman Bob Gibbs re-introduced the Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act, a bill that expands Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens on water resources development projects owned and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. While legislation passed in May 2009 opened National Park Service (NPS) and National Fish and Wildlife Service (NFWS) lands to concealed-carry permit holders, Army Corps water project recreational lands were not subject to the law.
The Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act brings Army Corps recreational sites that include water projects to the same standards as other federal recreational lands, when a citizen is already allowed to carry a concealed firearm in accordance with state and local laws.
“The law passed in 2009 expanded the ability of citizens legally allowed to carry concealed firearms on NPS and NFWS property,” said Congressman Gibbs after introducing the legislation. “Yet the exclusion of Army Corps water resources development projects is a classic case of the government’s left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. If an American has lawfully obtained a concealed-carry permit, he or she should be able to exercise their constitutional rights on federal recreation lands, regardless of the agency. I want to thank my cosponsors for joining me in ensuring Second Amendment rights also apply on the nearly 12 million acres and over 90,000 campsites the Army Corps of Engineers administers.”
The Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act was introduced in previous congresses. It passed the House with bipartisan support as part of a larger package under the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act in 2016.
Category: Government
