Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) announced on Thursday that he is introducing the National Constitutional Carry Act, which would protect the right to keep and bear arms in all areas of the country.
If passed, this legislation would be a tremendous win for the Second Amendment.
"I’m fortunate to live in a state where people are free to exercise their right to keep and bear arms without begging the government or paying a fee," said Rep. Thomas Massie. "Unfortunately, not every American enjoys the same right to carry firearms in public because some states and localities infringe upon this right through a variety of criminal, civil, and regulatory penalties. By prohibiting state or local restrictions on the right to bear arms, H.R. 645 upholds the original purpose of the Second Amendment—to ensure the security of a free state—while safeguarding individual liberties against government infringement."
The bill would allow Americans to carry firearms in all states without possessing a license. More than half of state legislature have already passed similar legislation. This bill would prevent state governments dominated by anti-gunner officials from impeding on the Second Amendment.
“Recognizing the preexisting right to self-defense, the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees individually to American citizens the right ‘to keep and bear arms,’ including the right to bear arms in public,” the bill reads.
The measure further explains that the Second Amendment “decrees that these rights to keep and bear arms ‘shall not be infringed,’ and was enumerated in order to preserve ‘the security of a free State.”
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The bill also asserts that the “criminalization of peaceable, public firearms carry is repugnant to the original meaning of the Second Amendment.”
The text also references the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen,” explaining that it acknowledges “that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the individual right to carry arms outside the home for self-defense.”
Additionally, the bill, if passed, would invalidate state and local measures that restrict the public carrying of firearms, deeming them contrary to the Constitution. It also prevents states from imposing onerous and costly obstacles for those who wish to legally carry firearms.
No State or political subdivision of a State may impose a criminal or civil penalty on, or otherwise indirectly limit the carrying of firearms… 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.
This bill goes even further than the Concealed Carry Reciprocity law President Donald Trump proposed on the campaign trail. This measure would allow those who have obtained concealed carry permits in their home states to carry firearms in all 50 states.
The objective of Massie’s bill is to enforce uniformity in firearm regulations across the country. If the bill passes, it would do away with the myriad of restrictions states like New York, California, and others place on the citizenry. However, those who are prohibited from owning guns would still be restricted.
Still, this is a promising step that could revolutionize gun rights in the U.S. We can be sure that the anti-gunner lobby will be fighting tooth and nail to prevent the bill from passing.
Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress. While the GOP has been better about restricting the Second Amendment, it does not necessarily mean that there will be enough Republican lawmakers who will be on board with this measure, which is why those who support gun rights must lean on them to do the right thing here. This is a significant opportunity to deal a deathblow to the effort to restrict the right to keep and bear arms. Hopefully, it will pass.
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