As your representative, I am committed to defending your constitutional rights and advancing policies that benefit your family, small business and community.
Ensuring your Second Amendment freedoms are protected is one of my top priorities. I have proudly championed H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, not just in this Congress but every Congress since being elected. This bipartisan, commonsense legislation would provide nationwide concealed carry reciprocity, so each state’s concealed carry license is valid in every other state.
Currently, there is a confusing hodgepodge of laws surrounding state-issued concealed carry licenses that vary from state to state. Some states have stricter laws that can make unknowing criminals out of lawful license holders for a simple mistake, like a wrong traffic turn, when carrying a handgun.
H.R. 38 would protect law-abiding citizens’ rights to conceal carry and travel freely. Your Second Amendment rights do not disappear when crossing invisible state lines, and my legislation guarantees it.
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), recently voted for my H.R. 38 to move forward and get a full vote on the House floor. This effort brings us one step closer to getting my legislation passed through Congress and signed into law, and I will keep working with President Donald Trump and my colleagues until we get the job done.
I also recently introduced the Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act to ensure law-abiding gun owners can exercise their right to keep and bear arms without fear of being financially penalized. For years, gun-grabbing politicians in states, like California, have implemented an excessive excise tax on firearms and ammunition purchases. This unconstitutional and unfair burden is nothing but a scheme to price Americans out of their right to keep and bear arms, and my legislation will put a stop to it.
Another one of my top priorities for folks in our region and communities across the country is to bridge the digital divide. As chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, I am focused on advancing commonsense policies that will deliver much-needed results.
Right now, too many families, farmers and small businesses don’t have access to broadband. While the Biden administration implemented a broadband deployment program, “BEAD,” it was riddled with burdensome, unnecessary requirements that hindered deployment. In fact, not a penny of the program’s federal funding has been put toward actual deployment for even one household.
This is unacceptable. That’s why, as chairman, I recently led members of my subcommittee in introducing legislation to ensure timely and accessible broadband deployment by cutting red tape and streamlining regulations.
Our rural communities need to be fully connected, and my legislation will help do that.
Whether it is safeguarding your Second Amendment rights or ensuring reliable broadband access, I will continue fighting for policies that protect your freedoms and improve everyday lives.
Richard Hudson represents North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House.
