By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
UPDATED: Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah has introduced the National Constitutional Carry Act, which would remove the requirement of state concealed carry licenses and permits, essentially restoring the Second Amendment to its full status.
The five-page bill, H.R. 645, states, “No State or political subdivision of a State may impose a criminal or civil penalty on, or otherwise indirectly limit the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by residents or nonresidents of that State who are citizens of the United States and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law.”
A House bill was introduced in the U.S. House by Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) in 2024.
In a statement announcing his bill, Lee observed, “The Founders established a national right to keep and bear arms, not to ask for permission from hostile local officials, or risk imprisonment for crossing the wrong state line. Many states already protect the right to carry without a permit, and it’s time to reaffirm this right for all law-abiding Americans. The National Constitutional Carry Act will establish nationwide permitless carry to keep America safe and her people free.”
The legislation has been endorsed by gun rights organizations including the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Gun Owners of America and National Association for Gun Rights.
CCRKBA is pointing its members and supporters to a web page set up specifically to support the legislation. On the page, visitors can sign a letter to their member of Congress which states, “As a responsible gun owner, the ability to protect myself and my family while traveling across the country is of utmost importance. The current patchwork of state laws creates confusing and potentially hazardous situations where what is legal in one state can turn otherwise lawful conduct into a felony just across the border. This undermines the constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms for self-defense.
The National Constitutional Carry Act would cut through this bureaucratic tangle and ensure that our Second Amendment freedoms do not get confined by unconstitutional boundaries. “For the safety and peace of mind of lawful gun owners, I strongly encourage you to support this legislation in Congress. American citizens should not have to sacrifice their rights simply for crossing state lines.”
Lee’s bill notes, “Certain States and localities have enacted gun control laws that are not consistent with the text of the Second Amendment or this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. The criminalization of peaceable, public firearms carry is repugnant to the original meaning of the Second Amendment.
“Any State or local restriction on the right of United States citizens to keep and bear arms impairs the ability of the Second Amendment to achieve its textually specified purpose, ‘the security of a free State.’”
“Constitutional Carry” (permitless carry) has been adopted in 29 states, and legislation was recently introduced in Michigan. An effort is also underway in North Carolina.
As noted by Fox News, the bill would “preserve private property rights that prohibit firearms, maintain bans in security-screened locations such as government buildings and ensure that individuals who are not legally allowed to own a firearm would remain prohibited from carrying one.”
