25th State Goes Constitutional Carry

Going into 2022, 21 states had passed constitutional carry laws and many pro-gun advocates had hoped for three more to pass “permitless” carry measures this spring. Turns out that those in favor of constitutional carry have surpassed that high expectation.

As soon as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs Senate Bill 319 into law this week—and he has long vowed to do so if legislators could get it passed and to his desk—a total of 25 states will have deregulated the carry of concealed firearms for defense of self and others. Following passage of the measure by the state legislature, Kemp tweeted: “I look forward to signing the Georgia Constitutional Carry Act of 2021 into law soon and fulfilling another promise I made to the voters of this state.”

He later tweeted: “For law-abiding Georgians, their carry permit is the Second Amendment. I’m proud to have worked alongside leaders in the General Assembly to get Constitutional Carry over the finish line, and I look forward to signing it into law.”

The Georgia law, like that in many other states, ensures that law-abiding citizens can practice their constitutional right to keep and bear arms without having to cut through government red tape and pay special license fees to do so. Also, like many other states, Georgia will keep their permitting system for those who wish to acquire one for reciprocity purposes when traveling to other states.

When Kemp signs the measure, Georgia will join Alabama, Ohio and Indiana in passing such a measure this spring. In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 272 on March 10 to put permitless carry on the books in that state. In Ohio, Senate Bill 215 was signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 14, and in Indiana House Bill 1296 was signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb on March 21.

It’s important to note that the constitutional carry landslide of 2022 might not yet be finished. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called the Sunshine State’s legislature back into a special session to take care of unfinished business, and constitutional carry is likely to be considered. And in Nebraska, Legislative Bill 773 remains under consideration by lawmakers.

The 25 states that have constitutional carry laws on the books currently are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

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Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC. An avid hunter, shooter and political observer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for the past 20 years.