Earlier this month, I joined more than 120 of my colleagues in introducing H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

In 1791, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by Congress. One of our great Founding Fathers — James Madison — believed that the security and longevity of the American republic depended on free, well-armed citizens. The 2nd Amendment reads, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act harkens back to this deep-rooted, uniquely American ideal. This legislation gives law-abiding citizens reciprocity for their concealed carry permits from one state to the next. In other words, a concealed carry permit issued in one state would be valid in all 50.

Living in the northwest corner of Iowa, I am within short driving distance of three different states — some with different laws concerning concealed carry permits. Carry permits issued by the State of Iowa are not valid in over 10 different states, including our neighbors, Minnesota and Illinois. Our constitutional right to bear arms should not be limited when traveling 20 minutes north into Minnesota — that’s ridiculous.

Many Americans find themselves in similar situations. States like California, New York, and Illinois, have gotten away with denying citizens of many other states the right to legally carry within their borders. These states do not honor the issued carry permits of any other state. When Iowans travel from state to state, their driver’s license is honored in all 50 states as a form of identification and as a license to operate a motor vehicle. My colleagues and I believe that concealed carry permits should work the same way. Our constitutional rights are not limited by state borders.

I also recently cosponsored the No REGISTRY Rights Act to stop the ATF’s overreach. Their Out-of-Business Records Imaging (OBRIS) System has collected nearly 1 billion firearm transaction records. This system requires federally licensed firearm businesses to turn over records of all their transactions should they go out of business. The No REGISTRY Rights Act removes this requirement to turn over all records to the ATF and mandates that the ATF destroy the database of transactions they have collected so far.

The Firearm Owners’ Protection Act of 1986 prohibits the federal government from establishing a national firearms registry and entitles gun owners to an expected level of privacy from federal agencies. The ATF’s collection of transaction records is a direct attempt by the federal government to encroach on that privacy.

As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I will continue to vote to protect every Iowan’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I will always be a strong advocate for the free, well-armed citizenry our Founding Fathers dreamt of.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District.