Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wants Americans in all 50 states to exercise their Second Amendment rights without first obtaining government permission. The Kentucky Republican has been rallying support for his National Constitutional Carry Act, which would override state laws that currently require permits to carry firearms.
"You can carry a handgun in 29 states without a permit," Massie wrote on social media. "Do you support my National Constitutional Carry Act which would extend permitless carry to all 50 states and U.S. territories?"
The legislation, designated HR 645, has attracted 64 co-sponsors since its introduction in January 2025. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) filed matching legislation in the upper chamber in March 2026, giving the effort a two front advance through Congress.
The bill operates through two mechanisms. It bars any state or local government from levying criminal or civil penalties against eligible individuals who carry firearms in public. It also strikes down existing state and local statutes that penalize public carry.
Senator Lee articulated the constitutional argument when announcing his companion measure. "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 declared.
The legislation would apply uniformly across all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories. Proponents contend that a constitutional right should not fluctuate based on geography. Someone exercising their rights in Texas should not become a criminal by driving into New York.
Major gun rights organizations have lined up behind the effort. Gun Owners of America announced its endorsement of Lee's bill, while the National Association for Gun Rights has similarly backed the legislation.
Currently, 29 states permit residents to carry firearms without licenses, including Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia. The bill would bring the remaining 21 states into alignment, including hostile jurisdictions such as California, New York, and Illinois that have historically imposed the strictest requirements.
The House bill awaits action in the Judiciary Committee.
Every federal gun control measure currently on the books represents a direct violation of the plain text of the Second Amendment, which states unambiguously that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Thomas Massie's National Constitutional Carry Act marks a crucial first step toward dismantling the unconstitutional regulatory apparatus that has accumulated over decades of anti gun activism masquerading as public safety policy. Congress should pass this bill and then turn its attention to repealing the National Firearms Act, the Gun Control Act, and every other federal statute that treats the exercise of a constitutional right as a privilege subject to government approval.
