The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday night advanced the bipartisan "Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act" out of committee in a party-line vote, clearing the way for a floor vote on the issue in the near future.

The concealed carry act, introduced in January by GOP North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson, would allow U.S. citizens with a valid permit to carry concealed weapons in other states that allow concealed carry.

The bill was passed out of committee in an 18-9 vote, according to the National Rifle Association (NRA), which has backed the legislation.

If passed by the House and Senate, it would impact nearly 22 million Americans who hold concealed-carry permits, according to cosponsor Kansas GOP Rep. Tracey Mann's office, citing data from the Crime Prevention Research Center. 

President Donald Trump has also expressed his support for concealed carry reciprocity.

"Our Second Amendment right does not disappear when we cross invisible state lines, and this commonsense legislation guarantees that," Hudson said in a statement introducing the bill. "The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act will protect law-abiding citizens' rights to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits. 

"I am proud to see such strong and widespread support, and I will not stop fighting to get this legislation signed into law," he added.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.