Correction: The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act passed Congress and was enacted into law in 2004. Then the politicos set about the course leading up to HR218, effectively restricting LEOSA significantly.
Originally, under LEOSA, any active or retired peace officer of any jurisdiction within the US was authorized to carry anywhere in the US with very limited restriction. Along came HR218, and many restrictions came into being subject to state and local interpretations.
Here in Colorado, as a retired cop, I can obtain the HR218-compliant concealed carry permit, but it requires qualifications annually with each handgun type, and my former agency must authorize each type of handgun specified on my permit. But as a civilian I can hold a 5-year permit (honored in over 30 states) with no restrictions on handgun type, and no annual qualification requirement. So I just stay well clear of NY, NJ, California, Taxachussetts, and various other Peoples Republiks that choose to ignore the US Constitution's clear requirement for all states to honor the official acts of all other states (such as drivers licenses, marriage licenses, child custody orders, civil judgements, and <maybe one day soon> concealed carry permits).
By the way, the howling about states' rights has not lessened a bit since HR218 passed. If anything, the restrictive states are even more restrictive. The only thing that will usually keep an out-of-state retired cop out of jail will be professional courtesy rendered by individual officers, and then only when there has been no incident likely to generate publicity. When at home, or when away from home, I always try to maintain a very low profile and avoid any attention.
