We are all painfully aware of the deluge of anti-Second Amendment messaging emanating from the folks in charge in our nation’s capital. In spite of this, many states have been countering the attempts to push unconstitutional restrictions on law-abiding gun owners by the Biden-Schumer-Pelosi regime by enacting laws that move the needle on the gauge of freedom ever closer to where our Founders intended. Here is a rundown of just some of the pro-gun reforms NRA-ILA has helped to introduce and get signed into law.
Permitless Carry Continues to Spread
Previously, we told you that Utah and Montana became the 17th and 18th states, respectively, to enact permitless carry laws. Such laws allow law-abiding citizens to lawfully carry concealed firearms for personal protection without first seeking permission from the government.
The permitless-carry club has now expanded to 21 members with the addition of Iowa, Tennessee and Texas.
Right to Self-Defense Expands in Other Ways
New permitless-carry states are not the only way that the Second Amendment is being expanded. In North Dakota, where permitless carry has been on the books since 2017, Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed a number of bills in April that enhanced the right to self-defense.
Included were an expansion of what firearms can be carried in a vehicle for personal protection, an increase in the number of places where law-abiding residents may carry firearms, a reduction in permitless-carry residency requirements and the removal of certain minor violations that would disqualify individuals from carrying firearms.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) signed a bill into law that will now allow nonresidents to take advantage of that state’s comprehensive agreements to carry handguns for self-defense in other states. This will help residents of other states that do not have good reciprocity laws for their permits, so that those law-abiding citizens will have more states in which they may lawfully carry firearms for personal protection when they travel to them. Those who wish to take advantage of this option will pay application fees to West Virginia and seek training from West Virginian instructors.
Wyoming also improved its existing permitless-carry law in April, when Gov. Mark Gordon (R) signed legislation that extended the law to include all law-abiding adults. The old law applied only to residents of Wyoming who had lived in the state for at least six months.
