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Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke January 29, 2025

No, Trump didn’t expand conceal carry reciprocity, though he’s promised to sign legislation doing so

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  • President Donald Trump hasn’t expanded concealed carry reciprocity in the United States, though he’s promised to sign legislation that accomplishes as much. Congressional Republicans reintroduced a bill to expand concealed carry permit rights. 

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., and 169 co-sponsors reintroduced a bill Jan. 3 that would expand concealed carry permit rights in the United States. But a recent Facebook post jumps the gun by claiming President Donald Trump has enabled anyone with such a permit to legally carry a firearm in any other state that allows concealed carry. 

"BREAKING NEWS," a Jan. 25 Facebook post said. "President Trump just announced FULL nationwide concealed carry reciprocity." 

The post includes an image of Trump signing a document, surrounded by smiling lawmakers.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

H.R. 38, the proposed Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, would allow people who have a concealed carry permit in one state to carry that concealed firearm in other states that have such laws. 

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Concealed carry is legal in some form in all 50 states, either by permit or automatically for those who are eligible in states that allow "constitutional carry" or "permitless carry," Andrew Willinger, executive director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law, said. Some states already honor concealed carry permits from other states; some do not.

Trump promised during his 2024 presidential campaign to sign concealed carry reciprocity legislation. 

"Your Second Amendment does not end at the state line," Trump said in February 2023.

Trump made and broke a similar promise in 2020.

Willinger told PolitiFact that although Trump has said he would sign the proposed legislation if it passes the House and Senate, "I’m not aware of any executive action by President Trump related to concealed carry permitting or reciprocity."

The image in the Facebook post is old. It shows Trump in 2017, signing a policy directive that directed NASA to return to the moon. 

We rate claims Trump expanded concealed carry reciprocity False.

 

Our Sources

Facebook post, Jan. 25, 2025

PolitiFact, Trump broke promise on expanding right to carry, July 15, 2020

ABC News, Gun violence prevention groups brace for Trump to keep promise of 'concealed carry reciprocity,’ Nov. 13, 2024

H.R. 38, introduced Jan. 3, 2025

H.R. 38, introduced Jan. 9, 2023

H.R. 38 text, introduced Jan. 3, 2025

Tracey Mann, Reps. Mann, Hudson introduce bill to expand concealed carry permits, Jan. 10, 2025

Central Florida Public Media, Rocket science meets political science. Plus, inspiring cosmic images from JWST, Nov. 12, 2024

Email interview with Andrew Willinger, executive director, Duke Center for Firearms Law, Jan. 28, 2025

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No, Trump didn’t expand conceal carry reciprocity, though he’s promised to sign legislation doing so

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