{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://shimkus.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/shimkus-stands-up-for-second-amendment", "Shimkus Stands Up for Second Amendment", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "IL", "John Shimkus", "S000364", "shimkus.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2013 Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-15) praised the passage of H.R 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which allows law-abiding citizens with a concealed carry permit in one state to carry in another state without the fear of breaking the law.\n\u201cThe Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (HR 38) is a common sense solution and I am proud to be a cosponsor of the bill,\u201d Shimkus said.\u00a0 \u201cIf you can legally carry in Illinois, you should be allowed to carry in other states.\u201d\nAll 50 states and Washington D.C. currently issue concealed carry permits on some basis and the laws surrounding those permits vary by state. This legislation is a solution to the confusing reciprocity agreements between states that are currently in place.\nShimkus added, \u201cThis bill does not establish a federal permit or registry or anything like that.\u00a0 It just says that one state\u2019s permit is good in another state\u2026similar to your driver\u2019s license.\u201d\nThis bill\u00a0does not\u00a0increase access to firearms and it does not regulate how the states issue concealed carry permits. H.R. 38 allows permits to be recognized from state to state, as long as permit holders follow the local concealed carry laws.\u00a0\nIncluded in the package passed by the House is H.R. 4477, the Fix NICS Act. This bill ensures that federal and state authorities comply with existing law when reporting records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://shimkus.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/shimkus-stands-up-for-second-amendment"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5185389202088118, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}