What say ye.................leave it state-by-state or go national?

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 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.
"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.
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.

https://www.foxnews.com/politi...stile-state-gun-laws

We've discussed this before and there are two camps:

Long needed and overdue, and

Not constitutional because local and state policing isn't a right reserved to the Feds.

quote:

Not constitutional because local and state policing isn't a right reserved to the Feds.

The 2nd Amendment is part of the Constitution, and "Shall not be infringed" is pretty clear, so I'd argue that the quoted statement is incorrect.

100% in favor if the details are as described in the article!

There would remain some questions depending on how thorough the bill is. For example, how would this law mesh with the federal gun-free school zone law? Currently one must have a ccw license from the state they are in, in order to possess a firearm within the school zone. Would this bill make it lawful for every non-prohibited person to possess a firearm within school zones in all 50 states?

Would this bill eliminate 18USC930 restrictions in Federal Facilities which are not security-screened. e.g. the Post Office and National Park welcome centers?

Respecting private property rights in accordance with state/local laws sounds good to me, though I wonder if there is an issue there. Would/should businesses open to the general public be mandated by federal law to allow concealed carry, using the same logic that such businesses cannot discriminate based on race? What about open carry? Or gun-buster signs to notify the public that guns are not permitted?

I'm all for the most comprehensive federal law preserving RKBA for law abiding citizens in every possible location and situation.

What we have now has some issues, but I can deal with it. I spend 95% of my time in Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado and don't feel too hindered.

My concern is not really this one vote this one time. If carry goes to a national model then my concern is there are lawmakers in Massachusetts and California who will be voting on what happens when I travel in the future. Right now, I can get in the truck and go 1,000 miles in any direction and not be too worried about being pulled over as it is. I will selfishly pick a states rights model on this one.

I don't think the 2nd Amendment is a state's right's issue.

If the feds can't even enforce the protections for travel through anti-gun states, I'd assume those same locations will find creative ways to ignore a nationwide carry bill.

We can't get the R's in NC to vote for constitutional carry since it was vetoed. We need something!

There will be a level of chaos, but I support it.

I don't understand why, if one State's marriage and driver's licenses are honored by all the rest, why isn't the same courtesy extended to 2A rights? Why would this require an act of Congress? It does appear that the most recent rulings by the Supreme Court have trended in the direction of recognizing Constitutional Carry.

Don't overlook the fact that "rights" extended by one Congress can just as easily be negated by another. Placing this issue in the hands of the legislature (as opposed to letting the Constitution prevail) seems like a dangerous precedent no matter how favorable an initiative might seem.