Mike Lee unveils national constitutional carry bill to override 'hostile' state gun laws
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is pushing nationwide constitutional carry for firearms, a move that would eliminate concealed carry permits, fees and criminal penalties for people who want...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is pushing nationwide constitutional carry for firearms, a move that would eliminate concealed carry permits, fees and criminal penalties for people who want to carry a firearm in public. Lee’s National Constitutional Carry Act, first obtained by Fox News Digital, would eliminate several hurdles Americans face with concealed carry across the country. "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 to Fox News Digital. OPERATION EPIC FURY SURVIVES SENATE CHALLENGE AS REPUBLICANS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND TRUMP "Many states already protect the right to carry without a permit, and it’s time to reaffirm this right for all law-abiding Americans," he continued. "The National Constitutional Carry Act will establish nationwide permitless carry to keep America safe and her people free." Currently, 29 states allow some form of constitutional carry, meaning residents can carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Lee’s legislation, which he plans to introduce Thursday, would eliminate concealed carry permit requirements nationwide for eligible U.S. citizens — those already legally allowed to own a firearm. US APPEALS COURT STRIKES DOWN CALIFORNIA'S OPEN-CARRY BAN IN MAJOR SECOND AMENDMENT RULING It would also prohibit state and local governments from requiring licenses that impose fees or other conditions on public carry and would bar states from criminalizing public carry for eligible citizens. The bill would, however, 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. The legislation was previously introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in the House in 2024 but did not become law. SUPREME COURT CAS…