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.
