Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and a group of House Republicans are advocating for the passage of the 'National Constitutional Carry Act,' a proposal that would require states to permit Americans to carry guns in public areas. The act aims to prevent states and localities from restricting U.S. citizens from carrying firearms in public if they meet the eligibility criteria outlined in state and federal laws.
The legislation, known as H.R. 645, is designed to uphold the original intent of the Second Amendment, which is to safeguard individual liberties against government infringement while ensuring the security of a free state. The text of the measure explicitly states that no state or political subdivision can impose penalties or barriers to carrying firearms in public for eligible residents or nonresidents who are U.S. citizens.
The proposal does not apply to locations where firearm screening is mandated by state law, and it respects the rights of private property owners to prohibit guns on their premises. This is not the first time Massie and his colleagues have introduced such a measure, as a similar proposal was put forth in the previous year.
In a social media post from 2021, Massie shared a Christmas photo featuring family members holding guns, with a caption that humorously requested Santa to bring ammunition. Additionally, in 2022, Massie criticized the term 'Gun Violence,' arguing that it shifts blame away from perpetrators of violence and promotes an anti-Second Amendment agenda. He also expressed his belief that totalitarian forms of government do not support the right of citizens to bear arms, as armed individuals would be less likely to submit to state control.
