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.

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"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.

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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. 

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Lee’s bill has the backing of the National Association for Gun Rights and Gun Owners of America.

The National Association for Gun Rights lauded the bill as "the only legislation that will restore the right of all law-abiding Americans to carry a firearm in every state without having to beg for government permission."

Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, said, "In a time of war, Americans cannot afford to have the right to bear arms delayed by arbitrary state permitting processes," referencing the conflict involving Iran.

"Public safety is threatened not only by ordinary criminals but also by bad actors working for foreign adversaries, and Americans need to be armed for the security of our free state," Pratt said.