Key Takeaways
- Senator Mike Lee introduced the National Constitutional Carry Act to allow permitless carry of firearms nationwide.
- The bill intends to reaffirm the constitutional right to bear arms, citing key Supreme Court decisions.
- States cannot impose penalties on individuals carrying firearms if they are legally eligible to possess them.
- Supporters, including Gun Owners of America, argue the bill removes unnecessary barriers to exercising Second Amendment rights.
- More than half of U.S. states already permit some form of constitutional carry.
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WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced legislation aimed at establishing nationwide constitutional carry for law-abiding Americans.
The bill, titled the National Constitutional Carry Act, would allow individuals who are legally eligible to possess a firearm under federal and state law to carry firearms in public without needing a permit.
A companion version of the legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY-04).
According to Senator Lee, the bill is intended to reaffirm the constitutional right to bear arms across state lines.
“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,” Lee said in a statement announcing the legislation.
Lee noted that many states already allow permitless carry and argued that the same protection should apply nationwide.
“Many states already protect the right to carry without a permit, and it’s time to reaffirm this right for all law-abiding Americans,” Lee said. “The National Constitutional Carry Act will establish nationwide permitless carry to keep America safe and her people free.”
The legislation cites several Supreme Court decisions recognizing the individual right to keep and bear arms.
These include District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms, and McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), which held that this right applies to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
The bill also references the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), which confirmed that the Constitution protects the right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.
Under the proposed law, states and local governments would be prohibited from imposing criminal or civil penalties on individuals who carry firearms in public if they are otherwise legally allowed to possess them.
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The bill would also invalidate state or local regulations that indirectly limit public carry by creating financial or administrative barriers.
Support for the legislation has already been announced by several national gun rights organizations.
Gun Owners of America endorsed the bill, saying Americans should not have their right to carry delayed by state permitting systems.
“In a time of war, Americans cannot afford to have the right to bear arms delayed by arbitrary state permitting processes,” said Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America. “Under this GOA-backed legislation, the right to carry a firearm without a government permission slip will be fully restored.”
The National Association for Gun Rights also voiced support for the proposal.
In a statement, the organization said the legislation would ensure that law-abiding Americans can exercise their right to carry firearms regardless of which state they are in.
The group also noted that more than half of U.S. states already allow some form of constitutional carry.
Second Amendment advocates often argue that requiring permits to exercise a constitutional right places an unnecessary burden on law-abiding citizens.
The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental civil liberty that should not depend on government approval or vary based on state lines.
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