National Constitutional Carry Act

Mike Lee

Republican · UT · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Rand Paul (R-KY)· 2026-03-12
• John Barrasso (R-WY)· 2026-03-18

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

2026-03-05

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would allow people to carry concealed handguns in all 50 states without needing a permit, overriding state and local gun licensing laws. Currently, some states require permits and background checks before allowing concealed carry, but this federal law would eliminate those requirements nationwide. Gun owners would benefit from easier access to carry firearms, while gun control advocates worry it could reduce safety checks and make it harder for law enforcement to track who is carrying weapons.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4013 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4013 To enforce the rights protected by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments against the States. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 5, 2026 Mr. Lee introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To enforce the rights protected by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments against the States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``National Constitutional Carry Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) Recognizing the preexisting right to self-defense, the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees individually to United States citizens the right ``to keep and bear arms'', including the right to bear arms in public. (2) The Second Amendment decrees that these rights to keep and bear arms ``shall not be infringed'', and was enumerated in order to preserve ``the security of a free State''. (3) In District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 595 (2008), the Supreme Court of the United States confirmed that ``[t]here seems to us no doubt, on the basis of both text and history, that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to keep and bear arms''. (4) In McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742, 791 (2010), the Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States makes the Second Amendment fully applicable to the States. Four Justices concluded that the rights protected by the Second Amendment are fundamental to the Nation's scheme of ordered liberty and deeply rooted in the Nation's ``history and tradition'', and therefore incorporated to the States through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Justice Clarence Thomas agreed that the rights protected by the Second Amendment are both ``fundamental'' and ``deeply rooted'' and, as such, are enforceable against the States under the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (5) Recently, the Supreme Court acknowledged in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, 142 S. Ct. 2111, 2156 (2022), that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the individual right to carry arms outside the home for self- defense. Further, the Court reiterated that the Second Amendment's otherwise ``unqualified command'' only accommodates laws that are ``consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation''. Id. at 2126. (6) Certain States and localities have enacted gun control laws that are not consistent with the text of the Second Amendment or this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation. The criminalization of peaceable, public firearms carry is repugnant to the original meaning of the Second Amendment. (7) Any State or local restriction on the right of United States citizens to keep and bear arms impairs the ability of the Second Amendment to achieve its textually specified purpose, ``the security of a free State''. SEC. 3. THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. (a) In General.--Section 927 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: ``Sec. 927. The right to keep and bear arms ``(a) Prohibition on Limiting the Carrying of Firearms in Public.-- No State or political subdivision of a State may impose a criminal or civil penalty on, or otherwise indirectly limit the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by residents or nonresidents of that State who are citizens of the…

United States and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law. ``(b) Invalidity of Certain State and Local Laws.--Any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of a State or a political subdivision of a State that criminalizes, penalizes, or otherwise indirectly dissuades the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by any resident or nonresident who is a citizen of the United States and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law, shall have no force or effect. ``(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section: ``(1) Firearm.--Notwithstanding section 921, the term `firearm' includes-- ``(A) any firearm, as defined in section 921(a)(3); ``(B) any ammunition feeding device for use in a firearm, as defined in section 921(a)(3); and ``(C) any ammunition, as defined in section 921(a)(17)(A). ``(2) Public.--The term `public'-- ``(A) includes any place held open to the public, regardless of ownership, but in the case of a privately owned location held open to the public, does not include a place where the owner communicates clearly and conspicuously a prohibition of firearms on the premises; and ``(B) does not include a place where screening for firearms is conducted under State law. ``(3) State.--The term `State' includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the possessions of the United States (not including the Canal Zone).''. (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is amended by striking the item relating to section 927 and inserting the following: ``927. The right to keep and bear arms.''. <all>

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