American voters, especially Texans, spoke resoundingly on Nov. 5, when they pulled the lever for Donald Trump. Additionally, enough Americans casted their votes down-ballot to maintain Republican control of the House while also retaking the Senate.
With a Republican trifecta in Washington, Donald Trump can actually govern, and most importantly, implement measures grassroots conservatives have long desired. On the Second Amendment front, pro-gun conservatives now have the chance to score big legislative wins. One of those could potentially be the passage of a national Constitutional Carry law.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) got the ball rolling last September when he introduced H.R. 9534, a bill that would make Constitutional Carry the law of the entire US. Constitutional Carry is the simple idea that any lawful citizen can carry a firearm without asking for a government permission slip.
“I’m fortunate to live in a state where people are free to exercise their right to keep and bear arms without begging the government or paying a fee,” proclaimed Rep. Massie at the time. “Unfortunately, not every American enjoys the same right to carry firearms in public because some states and localities infringe upon this right through a variety of criminal, civil, and regulatory penalties. By prohibiting state or local restrictions on the right to bear arms, H.R. 9534 upholds the original purpose of the Second Amendment—to ensure the security of a free state—while safeguarding individual liberties against government infringement.”
In the present, 29 states nationwide have some form of Constitutional Carry on the books. 147 million Americans reside in states with Constitutional Carry. This is no longer a fringe pro-gun concept.
Historically speaking, pro-gun activists have come a long way in normalizing Constitutional Carry in the public’s consciousness. Prior to the 21st century, Vermont was the black sheep, thanks to a fortuitous Vermont State Supreme Court decision in 1903 that established Constitutional Carry in the state. For nearly a century, “Vermont Carry,” i.e. unlicensed carry, would be the unique domain of the Green Mountain State.
However, the game changed after Alaska signed Constitutional Carry into law in 2003. An even more pronounced momentum shift took place in 2010 after then-Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1108, Arizona’s Constitutional Carry bill. From there, a wave of states has followed suit in making Constitutional Carry the law of the land. Texas’ passage of Constitutional Carry in 2021 further accelerated the trend of red states embracing this law.
In 2025, virtually all solid red states have Constitutional Carry or some permutation of it on the books. Despite what political gatekeepers say, confrontational politics can yield positive results for liberty. When grassroots activists start taking matters into their own hands and ignore the conventional wisdom coming from political consultants, they can make real legislative gains.
Constitutional Carry’s progress in state legislatures nationwide is testament to the virtues of this strategy. With Republicans now in charge of DC, it’s time to take the same energy that has made Constitutional Carry the legislative standard of red states and use it to pass a clean bill at the federal level.
Rep. Massie has gotten the ball rolling by introducing national Constitutional Carry legislation. Now, the grassroots must do the heavy lifting by putting pressure on their elected officials to do the right thing. For too long, Republicans have done little to defend, much less, expand gun rights.
But with grassroots momentum moving in a pro-gun direction and an incoming Trump presidency that has a strong political mandate, there are new opportunities that were previously out of the reach for gun owners to take advantage of.
Gun owners would be wise to not let this unique political moment go to waste.
