He owned a firearm legally.
He stored it properly.
He declared it at the airline counter.
And for that, New York arrested him on felony charges.
Walker’s “crime” wasn’t violence. It wasn’t recklessness. It wasn’t malicious intent.
His crime was crossing an invisible line into a jurisdiction that treats the Second Amendment like a privilege for the political class instead of a right for the people.
That is the dirty secret behind America’s gun laws: you can follow every rule in one state and become a felon the moment your plane touches down in another.
How Walker Innocently Broke the Law
Walker reportedly arrived at LaGuardia Airport and properly declared an unloaded, secured firearm in his checked baggage — exactly what airlines and the TSA instruct lawful gun owners to do.
That procedure works in free states. It works in states that respect the Constitution.
But New York is not one of those states.
Because Walker does not possess a New York-issued carry permit — something almost impossible for non-residents to obtain — he was arrested and charged under some of the harshest gun possession statutes in the country.
The fact that he never attempted to carry the gun on his person, never accessed it, and never posed a threat was irrelevant.
In New York, intent doesn’t matter. Innocence doesn’t matter. The Constitution doesn’t matter.
Only control matters.
A Right That Changes at State Lines Is No Right at All
The Second Amendment does not say “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed…unless you land at LaGuardia.”
It does not evaporate at city limits, county borders, or state lines.
And yet that is exactly how Americans are forced to live: navigating a patchwork quilt of gun bans, traps, and contradictory laws that even attorneys struggle to decipher — much less ordinary citizens.
As Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights, puts it:
“A constitutional right that turns law-abiding Americans into felons just for traveling is not a right — it’s a permission slip issued by tyrants.”
Walker’s arrest is not an anomaly. It is a warning. If it can happen to a high-profile NFL player with resources and attorneys, it can — and does — happen to everyday Americans.
Why National Constitutional Carry Is the Only Real Solution
For years, gun owners have been told that concealed carry reciprocity is the answer. Just get states to recognize each other’s permits, they say.
But reciprocity still treats the Second Amendment as a government-issued privilege, not a pre-existing right.
That’s why National Constitutional Carry — H.R. 645 — must be the standard.
Constitutional carry means:
- No permits
- No permission slips
- No criminalization of peaceful Americans for exercising a right
Under true national constitutional carry, Rasheed Walker would never have been arrested—because he never did anything wrong.
McNutt doesn’t mince words:
“We don’t need a national permission slip system. We need Congress to recognize that the Second Amendment already is the permit.”
Constitutional Carry > National Reciprocity
There was a major push in 2025 to finally secure National Constitutional Carry.
Then the political winds shifted.
Instead of standing firm, establishment politicians and the NRA machine pushed H.R. 38, a watered-down concealed carry reciprocity bill. It was sold as a win — but in reality, it cemented the idea that states can still dictate who gets to exercise a constitutional right.
Worse, it empowered anti-gun states like New York to continue arresting travelers first and sorting it out later.
This shift didn’t happen by accident. It was pushed by RINO politicians like John Cornyn, who have a long history of cutting deals that leave gun owners exposed.
As McNutt bluntly states:
“Reciprocity is what politicians offer when they’re too afraid to defend freedom. Constitutional carry is what you pass when you actually believe in the Second Amendment.”
No More Excuses
Rasheed Walker’s arrest should end the debate once and for all.
The Second Amendment is not a regional custom.
It is not a state-issued license.
It is not negotiable.
It is a right that belongs to all Americans, in all 50 states, without apology.
Congress has the chance to fix this — now — by passing National Constitutional Carry, H.R. 645.
If lawmakers refuse, they are choosing New York’s model: criminalize first, apologize never.
Take Action
Gun owners cannot afford silence. Tell Washington that you demand real protection for the Second Amendment, not half-measures and political cover.
Click here to tell your elected officials to SUPPORT H.R. 645 (National Constitutional Carry)
Because no American — NFL player or otherwise — should be arrested for obeying the law and exercising a constitutional right.
