The Pathway Forward for Constitutional Carry

 

As of May 2026, twenty-nine states have enacted Constitutional Carry.

What about across the rest of the country? The movement has stalled, since red states with GOP trifectas have all gotten the job done. Constitutional Carry’s advance has paused since South Carolina finally approved the reform on March 7, 2024. Of course, we shouldn’t give a round of applause to the Palmetto State, since the long-lasting legacy of RINOs did everything they could to thwart meaningful, conservative turn rights reforms. But they did get the job done.

Nothing has budged since. Republicans are facing progressive backlash in other states, as expected since Trump got the top job a second time in 2024. Democrats are hard-pressed to stop this reform from advancing, and in the Rust Belt States, the last time they had Republican trifectas, the respective parties made some moves for gun rights liberation, but nothing along the lines of constitutional carry.

Where can gun rights activists expect the move for Second Amendment freedom?

I was really gunning for Virginia to join the Constitutional Carry club post 2025. That dream turned into a nightmare when Democrats not only swept all three statewide offices, but also expanded their legislative majority in the Virginia House of Delegates to near supermajority levels!

And now look what’s happening in Virginia: twenty-five gun control bills have blasted out of the legislature, including limits on the right to carry publicly, limitations on where one can carry, and even barring 18to 20 year-olds from carrying a firearm! The gun-rights movement was hoping that the Mother of Presidents would join the constitutional carry club. Sadly, that is not to be for the foreseeable future. Republicans must expose these draconian measures and scare gun owners and Second Amendment advocates to the polls.

North Carolina remains on the cusp of constitutional carry. The main obstacle is a matter of overriding the Governor’s veto. The Republican-dominated legislature passed SB 50, but Democratic Governor Stein vetoed the bill. He will pay lip service to public safety but refuses to enact the one key reform that will ensure it. Fortunately, the state senate overrode the veto.

Now the North Carolina House has to step up.

The Republicans in that chamber are just one vote shy of a three-fifths veto-proof majority. Of course, there are plenty of RINOs in the midst who are covertly hostile to gun freedom. At least thirteen of them bailed on the initial vote for the legislation last year. Election season is here, though, and those stay-aways have to step up and vote for the constitutional carry override if they want to get re-elected in 2026. Add to this dynamic the fact that some left-over former Democrat House Reps have ditched their crazy-woke party. GOP Leadership should reach out to them and offer them a legislative deal for their votes to get constitutional carry across the finish line. Second Amendment advocates, let’s cross our fingers for the Tar Heel State!

Does constitutional carry have a chance in any other legislative chamber this year?

The Pennsylvania state legislature passed the reform in 2022, but then Democratic Governor Tom Wolf vetoed it, and there weren’t enough votes for an override. Then came Election 2022, and Democrats took the House (by a slim margin) and the governor’s mansion, as well.

The state senate is still controlled by Republicans. As of May 6, 2026, the Pennsylvania State Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced its own version, even though the rest of the state went blue in 2022. Election 2026 is not looking much better for Republicans to gain a GOP trifecta for the next legislative session. They could win back the Pennsylvania House, but Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro maintains a strange popularity across the state, although GOP State Treasurer Stacy Garrity will give him a run for his money. She will campaign and win in 2030, and if Republican legislators are still in control, constitutional carry could come in 2031.

Wisconsin Republicans still control the state legislature, but Democratic Governor Tony Evers has resisted expansion of gun rights. HB 609 was introduced last year to enact constitutional carry, but it has gone nowhere since. Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany has a chance to become the next governor, since Evers declined to run again. If a wannabe Bernie Sanders candidate wins the Democratic nomination, Wisconsin may restore its GOP trifecta. Dairy State lawmakers must make constitutional carry a priority in 2027.

Will Michigan get back on track to restore and expand gun rights? Democrats control the Governor’s mansion in Lansing and the Michigan state senate. House Republicans have introduced their own constitutional carry bill, which could pass the lower chamber this year, preparing for a better environment after Election 2026.

Michigan may witness another 2010-style Tea Party wave, with Republicans washing back into power. The Democratic frontrunner for US Senate, former public health director Abdul El-Sayed, is a terrorist sympathizer. He is running against a state-wide tested and Trump-endorsed candidate, Mike Rogers, who nearly toppled Elissa Slotkin in 2024. He is the 2026 version of Pennsylvania’s Dave McCormick.

Republicans already face a favored field, since Democrats are split over the governor’s race. Democrat-turned-Independent and former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan was hurting the Democratic vote, but he ended up dropping out of the race. Still, Republican gubernatorial candidate John James is reaching out to him for support. He was pulling support from both parties, but his exit may help Republicans. The GOP took back the House of Representatives in 2024, and they are two seats shy of winning back the majority in the state senate.

With Rogers pulling off a US Senate win in the Wolverine State, he can pull up the rest of the Michigan GOP ticket for Election 2026. A GOP trifecta in Michigan must make it their priority to enact constitutional carry – then repeal the red flag laws and gun-free zones enacted under Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s (aka Gretch the Witch) Democrat trifecta!

What about Minnesota? Trump was within striking distance of winning the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes in 2016, then his numbers sagged in 2020, then perked up again in 2024 (but not as close as his first run). The Democratic brand is in trouble since Somali voter fraud has stirred up the state, but will it be enough?

Election 2026 can be the “Constitutional Carry” year if Republicans make their case. They need to drive home the dangers of a Democratic resurgence to power. Just look at Virginia and what Minnesota tried to do earlier this month! The Marxist Democratic Party wants to take the guns away, folks, and they are not shy about their intentions this time around.

So, what is the future for carrying constitutionally in the United States?

North Carolina is very close.

Michigan and Wisconsin could be joining the club, provided that Republican statewide candidates win big and bring up their state legislatures. Nevada is still dealing with large Democratic majorities in the legislature, and the Republican governor Joe Lombardo opposes constitutional carry. Minnesota remains a long shot. The rest are Democratic hellholes that have declared war on law-abiding gun owners.

Following the most ideal outcomes, three more states will join the Constitutional Carry club in the next year.