Each day brings a new headline story covering crime across our nation, and it’s plain to see that America is a dangerous place. Criminals roam American streets, willing to unleash brutality on innocent victims, which, unfortunately, too many women experience firsthand.
This Thanksgiving saw the murder of a National Guard soldier in Washington, D.C., which followed attacks like the one in Chicago where Bethany Magee was horrifically attacked and burned alive by a career criminal. Women are disproportionately targeted in vulnerable situations, and being defenseless is not an option.
In a nation on edge, self-defense isn’t partisan, it’s common sense. But there are still too many restrictions preventing women, and all Americans, from protecting themselves anywhere they go.
I have spent years training and advocating for responsible gun ownership. I’ve seen firsthand how essential it is for women to have the ability to defend themselves. White living in Arizona, I was active in several women’s shooting organizations and continue my advocacy here in Iowa on the Executive Committee of the Iowa Firearms Coalition.More: Letters: Gun regulations stymie only people who obey lawsNeed a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
I’ve completed the NRA Basic Pistol instruction, trauma care courses, and active-shooter response training because we know that preparation saves lives. Through my work with Iowa Firearms Coalition and women’s firearms groups, I’ve met countless responsible, trained citizens who simply want the ability to protect themselves wherever they go. They deserve laws that reflect that reality.
Our nation’s current legal framework surrounding concealed carry permits for firearms is nothing short of a chaotic mess. It’s a confusing patchwork of laws that change dramatically from state to state. This patchwork of laws can turn a law-abiding gun owner into a criminal just for traveling.
Compare this to universally recognized licenses like driver’s licenses and marriage certificates, which are recognized everywhere we go. The same should be true for our constitutionally protected right to carry guns and protect ourselves.
That is why we need Congress to act. Today, H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, is under consideration by Congress. Sponsored by Rep. Rich Hudson of North Carolina, this common-sense bill is the solution to the chaos of conflicting state carry laws.More: Opinion: Protect the right to keep and bear arms, reject fear, and pass Iowa’s Freedom Amendment
The proposed bill will ensure that law-abiding Americans with a state issued concealed carry permit can legally defend themselves in any other state that recognizes concealed carry, and it extends the same protection to residents of constitutional carry states when they travel.
This bill does not create a federal permit or override any state’s authority; it simply guarantees that responsible citizens aren’t turned into criminals for crossing a border. In a country where danger ignores state lines, our right to self-defense must be able to travel with us.
Don’t just take my word for it. Americans across the country agree.
According to a Quantus Insights poll in October 2025, 57% of Americans believe that armed citizens make communities safer. Support for national concealed carry reciprocity is broad and definitive (64%), and that number jumps even higher when respondents were asked if they believe “People should never be defenseless” (67%). This bipartisan consensus is rooted in common sense and the desire for personal safety. Twenty-nine states already have some form of constitutional or concealed carry laws on the books, and it is time to listen to the people and make this consistent across the nation.
Women face a higher risk of being targeted for violent crime, and far too often those attacks occur when they are alone. A concealed firearm can be the equalizer that allows a woman to defend herself against a stronger, determined attacker. No woman should be forced to abandon that protection just because she crosses into a different state. H.R. 38 ensures that women aren’t left vulnerable by inconsistent laws when their safety, and their lives, may depend on the ability to defend themselves.
The Second Amendment is not regional. It’s a God-given, inherent right affirmed in the Constitution that was not meant to be fragmented by 50 different state interpretations. Our fundamental freedoms don’t change when we travel, period. As Americans, the Constitution follows us everywhere, and our firearms carry rights should as well.
Congress must act now, because every day that passes under the current patchwork of laws leaves responsible Americans, and especially women, unnecessarily vulnerable. With violence on the rise and criminals emboldened, it makes no sense to punish law-abiding citizens for simply crossing a state line while exercising a constitutional right. H.R. 38 offers a clear, fair, and widely supported solution that restores consistency and protects the right of self-defense nationwide.
The American people are ready, and Congress has no excuse. Pass the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act now.
Katie Howard is on the executive committee for the Iowa Firearms Coalition.