Two bills now in front of the House of Representatives could have huge implications for law-abiding gun owners and Second Amendment activists. Both bills have made significant progress, although neither has yet come up for a full vote in the House. 

Still, if these are ever going to pass, now would be the time.

The first is the long-awaited national concealed-carry (CCW) reciprocity. The second tightens up the time allowed for the federal government to clear up any problems with the national background check system when a person appeals a denial.

H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, and H.R. 2184, the Firearm Due Process Protection Act, were debated and passed out of committee on Tuesday. This was the first step before the bills could be considered by the full House of Representatives and ultimately the Senate. H.R. 38, which seeks to implement nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry permits, would allow law-abiding gun owners with a permit in one state to carry in another state that also permits concealed carry but may not have reciprocity. 

"The right of self-defense shouldn't end simply because you cross the state line," said John Commerford, executive director of the NRA's congressional lobbying arm. "Passage of H.R. 38 — concealed carry reciprocity — would be the most monumental win for gun rights in Congress since 2005, when the Protection of Lawful Commerce and Arms Act was passed."

H.R. 38 has, of course, provoked some disagreement, and, oddly, the left is now arguing this as a states' rights issue.

"This legislation is a dramatic infringement on states’ rights and would be disastrous for gun crime and law enforcement safety in our country," said Emma Brown, executive director at the gun control advocacy group Giffords. "Violent crime rises when state concealed carry standards are weakened, and this would weaken the standard in every single state. It would also endanger police and make their jobs harder."

Emma Brown is wrong in every particular. Rights codified and enshrined in the Constitution are not subject to a state-by-state interpretation, and violent crime has, in every state where it's been tried, trended downward with the advent of liberalized concealed-carry laws. There is also the full faith and credit clause, which binds states to recognize the legal actions of other states; that's why your driver's license is valid in all 50 states, but for some reason, your CCW permit is not. This law will fix that.

H.R. 2184 is the second bill before the House:

The second bill advanced this week on Capitol Hill was H.R. 2184. It aims to enhance the rights of people wanting to purchase a firearm who may be denied as the result of errors in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

If a buyer appeals a judgment denying their right to purchase a firearm on the grounds that there was an error, H.R. 2184 would require federal officials to make a determination on their appeal within 60 days. If an answer is not provided within the two-month timeline, gun owners can then seek a court judgment to obtain one.

This bill would also be a significant win, but perhaps not as big as CCW reciprocity. Reciprocity is something Second Amendment activists (like me) have been seeking since about ten minutes after the first shall-issue CCW permit law was passed into law in Florida in 1987.

Second Amendment activists have lost a few battles lately, but with a bit of luck, we'll win these two big ones.

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We will closely monitor the progress of these two bills and bring you updates as events warrant.

The Second Amendment has never been more important than it is right now. It is the right that protects all the others, and here at RedState, we're committed to keeping all law-abiding gun owners informed as to the left's attempts to restrict those rights. You can help - just sign up for a RedState VIP account for the latest and best information on all the news of the day. Use promo code FIGHT for a 60 percent discount.