Smith, Hawley back bill simplifying concealed-carry renewal

Prompted by a complaint lodged last year by an active-duty service member from southern Missouri, U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-8th Dist.) and the state's junior U.S. senator, Josh Hawley, have this week reintroduced a bill in their respective chambers allowing members of the U.S. armed forces to renew their concealed-carry permits by mail.

If passed by both the House and Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden, the language of the legislation says states failing to comply may see a reduction in federal grant funding.

Smith's communications director, Matt Schuck, demurred when asked by the Southeast Missourian to identify the military member who brought the complaint, also declining to specify the branch of service, citing privacy concerns.

The unnamed military member, stationed in 2020 at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, reached out to Smith after being told physical residency must be in Missouri and renewal is done in-person only.

Missouri's junior U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley talks to the media after a 2018 debate against then-Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 25, 2018.Associated Press file

Often, Schuck said, military members are unable to travel back to their home states to take care of personal matters.

"If members of the armed forces hold concealed-carry permits, they should be able to renew by mail or be treated as a resident of the state in which they are stationed," Smith said.

"The men and women who serve this country in the U.S. military have earned the right to not face discrimination," added Smith, who also said his legislation puts the burden on the states, not on service members, to simplify the renewal process.

"There is no reason brave men and women who put their lives on the line for this country should have to fight through endless bureaucratic hurdles and red tape to maintain their concealed-carry licenses," Hawley commented.

Smith and Hawley originally filed the legislation in the last Congress, but it failed to reach either the House or Senate floor for a vote.