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Sam Stevenson

By Sam Stevenson

Associate News Editor

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President Donald Trump said Wednesday in Pennsylvania that his administration is "working on" national right‑to‑carry legislation that would expand gun carry rights across U.S. state lines.

While speaking at a Mack Trucks facility in Macungie, Trump acknowledged National Rifle Association (NRA) President Bill Bachenberg in the audience, noting the group had backed him since the start because he "saved the Second Amendment."

He then asked the crowd if they supported national right‑to‑carry legislation, adding: "Yeah, we’re working on it."

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The proposal could override parts of state gun laws and reshape a fragmented system affecting millions of gun owners.

Lindsay Nichols, policy director at the Giffords Law Center, told Newsweek in an emailed statement that the biggest effects would fall on states with the strictest carry laws, including California, New York, Hawaii and Massachusetts.

“These states require individuals to go through a background check, training, and obtain a permit before they can legally carry a concealed firearm,” Nichols, who works on firearms policy at the gun safety group, said. “A national concealed carry mandate would force them to allow public carry by people who have not met these standards, including those from states that do not require a permit at all.”

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Public Safety Implications

Dr. Iain Overton, the executive director of Action on Armed Violence, a United Kingdom-based research organization that studies global armed violence, told Newsweek the proposal would likely increase the number of firearms carried in public while limiting states’ ability to enforce their own safety standards, effectively requiring stricter states to recognize permits from jurisdictions with weaker rules.

He warned the public safety implications were "straightforward," adding: "Increasing the number of firearms carried in public spaces raises the risk that everyday disputes, domestic violence incidents, road‑rage encounters and other conflicts become lethal."

Overton said research generally does not support claims that more permissive carry laws improve safety, and pointed to international evidence showing most high‑income countries have reduced gun violence through tighter controls rather than expanding carrying rights.

US a Outlier in Firearm availability and Deaths

The United States, he added, is already "an outlier in both firearm availability and firearm deaths," and remains the only country to have loosened gun laws following mass shootings, alongside a continued expansion in civilian gun carrying.

Nichols pointed to U.S.-based research linking weaker concealed-carry laws to higher rates of violence. A “comprehensive and rigorous” study, she said, found that states with weaker permitting standards saw violent crime rates 13 to 15 percent higher than expected compared with states that maintained stricter rules.

According to the same research, weaker laws were also associated with an 11 percent increase in handgun homicide rates and a 9.5 percent rise in gun assaults over the first decade after standards were loosened.

Supporters, including gun‑rights groups such as the NRA, argue nationwide recognition would strengthen Second Amendment protections and ensure law‑abiding gun owners are not penalized for crossing state lines. NRA Executive Vice President Doug Hamlin wrote in a June 23 letter to The Washington Post that the organization remains “on firm financial footing” and cited the spread of constitutional‑carry laws and recent court rulings as evidence that gun rights are “strong.”

In a post on X, the NRA wrote: “Second Amendment rights don’t end at state lines. NRA is fighting alongside the Trump administration to ensure every law‑abiding American can exercise their right to carry nationwide.”

"It is imperative that Congress pass National Concealed Carry Reciprocity as the next critical step in ensuring the Second Amendment rights of all Americans," John Commerford, Executive Director of NRA-ILA told Newsweek in an emailed statement.

"President Trump, like the NRA, recognizes that constitutional rights do not end at state borders. This common-sense legislation will empower millions of law-abiding Americans to exercise their right to self-defense wherever they travel, ensuring they can protect themselves and their families anywhere in this country."

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Newsweek: “President Trump has been consistent for many years: he is an unapologetic supporter of Second Amendment rights for law‑abiding citizens.” She said the administration will “always defend and protect Americans’ constitutional right to bear Arms.”

The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment when approached by Newsweek on Wednesday.

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What Trump Is Proposing—And What It Actually Means

Trump’s comments align with proposals known as concealed‑carry reciprocity, which would require states to recognize firearm‑carry rights from other states, similar to how driver’s licenses are accepted nationwide.

One of the main vehicles is the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38), which would allow someone legally permitted to carry a concealed firearm in one state to do so in another.

Some versions go further, particularly proposals like the National Constitutional Carry Act, which would eliminate permit requirements entirely and allow eligible individuals to carry without a license nationwide. Such laws would preempt many state restrictions, though states could still regulate guns in specific locations such as schools or government buildings.

The Current System: a Patchwork of Laws

There is no national standard for concealed carry. Instead, states decide whether to recognize out‑of‑state permits, and reciprocity agreements vary widely. Permits from states such as Florida or Utah are recognized in more than 30 states, while those from California or New York are valid in far fewer jurisdictions. At the same time, 29 states now allow permitless or “constitutional” carry.

According to data compiled by the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, there are about 20.9 million concealed‑carry permit holders in the U.S., roughly 7.8 percent of adults. But because nearly half of Americans now live in permitless‑carry states, the number of people legally carrying firearms is far higher.

According to a 2025 report by the Crime Prevention Research Center, there are approximately 20.9 million concealed carry permit holders in the United States, representing about 7.8 percent of the adult population.

However, that figure understates the number of people legally carrying firearms. The same analysis found that 29 states now allow "constitutional carry," meaning no permit is required, with roughly 46.8 percent of Americans—about 157.6 million people—living in those jurisdictions.

As a result, permit numbers have begun to decline from a peak of around 22 million in 2022, even as the number of people able to carry firearms has expanded.

Peter Squires, an emeritus professor of criminology and public policy at the University of Brighton who has written extensively on gun crime and gun control, told Newsweek that the United States is difficult to compare directly with other countries because of its constitutional framework and distinct gun culture.

Squires said any move toward national reciprocity in the U.S. would “likely face legal challenge,” though the current Supreme Court would be unlikely to pose a major obstacle to an expansive reading of gun rights.

The States With the Biggest Impact

A national right‑to‑carry policy would not affect all states equally. Based on current law, the impact splits into three blocs:

Strict Gun‑Law States (Biggest Impact)

States such as:

These states:

California and New York are consistently ranked among the strictest jurisdictions, with layered rules covering purchasing, carrying, and storage.

What would change: They would likely be required to allow people from less restrictive states to carry firearms within their borders.

Why this matters: Critics argue this would undercut local safety standards, effectively importing looser rules from other states. Nichols said such a shift would mean jurisdictions with strict safeguards “would have to accept individuals who have never undergone a background check, training, or permitting process,” significantly lowering the bar for who can legally carry in public spaces.

Middle‑Ground States (Moderate Impact)

Examples include:

These states already operate "shall‑issue" permit systems and recognize many—but not all—other states.

What would change: They would need to expand recognition to all states, including those with weaker requirements.

Impact level: Moderate increase in eligible carriers, but less dramatic than in strict states.

Permitless / Permissive States (Least Impact)

Examples include:

These states already allow permitless carry for eligible residents.

What would change: Very little internally.

Key shift: Residents could legally carry firearms across the country, including in states that currently prohibit or tightly restrict firearms.

A Shift in Power Between States

A national law would raise the baseline of gun access to the level of the least restrictive states. Strict states would lose regulatory control, permissive states would gain influence, and travelers would face fewer legal risks crossing state lines.

Nichols said the practical impact would extend beyond legal consistency to day-to-day enforcement. She warned that law enforcement agencies could face increased pressure as more people carry firearms in public, while also losing the ability to enforce local standards designed to limit risk.

Research also suggests weaker carry laws may contribute to increases in gun theft and illegal firearm markets, as well as reduced crime-clearance rates if police resources are diverted, she added.

At the same time, U.S. gun laws are being reshaped by an expansive wave of court challenges. Since the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, federal courts have issued more than 3,000 rulings citing the case, producing conflicting outcomes and leaving states navigating ongoing uncertainty.

In practical terms, that has left states navigating ongoing uncertainty. Judges in multiple states—including Washington, Georgia and Kansas—have upheld some restrictions, even as others have been overturned or sent back for review under the Bruen framework.

Mike Lee’s Bill: The National Constitutional Carry Act

Senator Mike Lee’s proposal, the National Constitutional Carry Act, would go significantly further than standard reciprocity legislation.

The bill—introduced in the Senate earlier this year—asserts that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit states from limiting the public carrying of firearms by eligible U.S. citizens. It would effectively bar states from imposing criminal or civil penalties on lawful carriers, including non‑residents, and would invalidate any state or local law that “dissuades” public carry through permitting, fees, or other requirements.

The bill is currently referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it has not yet received a markup or hearing. Its future depends heavily on whether Republican leadership chooses to elevate it alongside House efforts such as H.R. 38.

GOP Sponsors in Senate

Nichols said any federal law imposing nationwide carry rules would likely face immediate legal challenges from states. She pointed to the Tenth Amendment’s “anti-commandeering” principle, which limits the federal government’s ability to force states to enforce federal policies or adopt other states’ standards.

Legal challenges could also raise due process and equal protection concerns, she added, because the proposal would “privilege the laws of some states over others”—potentially creating a situation in which individuals can legally carry in states where they would otherwise be prohibited.

What Happens Next

Trump’s remarks do not directly change the law, but signal potential White House backing for legislation already in Congress.

H.R. 38 has advanced through committee but requires approval by both chambers and the president to become law.

If momentum builds, the issue could become a defining policy and legal battle heading into the next election cycle—especially as the divide between states continues to widen—a divide increasingly shaped as much by the courts as by lawmakers.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick, James Debens and Sam Wilson.

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