In an update to a Guardian news item of Dec. 26, 2024, Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) has formally filed the National Constitutional Carry Act in the current legislative session. If passed, Massie’s constitutional carry legislation will ensure Americans’ Second Amendment right to carry firearms in public spaces is protected throughout the country.
The current bill, H.R. 645, was filed on January 23, 2025. The 2024 bill number was H.R. 9534.
Massie’s legislation would prohibit any state or political subdivision from imposing criminal or civil penalties on eligible individuals carrying firearms in public.
The second provision invalidates any existing state or local laws, statutes, regulations, or local restrictions that criminalize, penalize, or otherwise dissuade the carrying of firearms in public.
In addition to covering all 50 states, H.R. 645 includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and other territories of the United States within its scope to ensure that residents of all U.S. jurisdictions enjoy consistent protection of their Second Amendment rights.
Rep. Massie said, “By prohibiting state or local restrictions on the right to bear arms, H.R. 645 upholds the original purpose of the Second Amendment—to ensure the security of a free state—while safeguarding individual liberties against government infringement.”
Rep. Massie’s National Constitutional Carry Act is endorsed by prominent gun rights organizations, including the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) and the American Firearms Association (AFA).
Original cosponsors of the National Constitutional Carry Act include Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA), Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-TN), Rep. John Rose (R-TN), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rep. Tony Wied (R-WI).
