In the past year, the United States transitioned into a majority-constitutional carry nation, which means in more than 50 percent of the states – 27 to be exact – law-abiding citizens no longer need a permit from the government to carry a concealed firearm in public. This significant shift by state legislatures and governors toward championing Second Amendment rights would have seemed improbable just a few decades ago. However, it underscores Americans' unwavering belief in their natural-born right to self-defense through responsible gun ownership. Record numbers of Americans from all walks of life are choosing to become their family’s first line of defense.
Now, two more states are lining up to bolster the strong constitutional carry majority, and it’s important that their leaders see it through.
In Louisiana, the inauguration of Governor Jeff Landry represented an important moment for the state and its citizens’ right to protect due to his track record of defending the Second Amendment. First and foremost, violent crime continues to be unacceptably high in many of its cities. In New Orleans, for example, the city’s homicide rate was over 100 percent higher in 2023 compared to what it was in 2019, according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission. There are many needed changes to address this growing problem, and empowering more law-abiding citizens to protect themselves should be at the top of the list.
Furthermore, past attempts to safeguard Louisiana gun owners’ constitutional rights were thwarted by former Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, who served in that role for eight years. Rep. Danny McCormick (R-Oil City), who sponsored past iterations of constitutional carry legislation, has reintroduced a new bill for this year’s legislative session. This marks the first opportunity since 2015 that passing constitutional carry is even feasible, and since Governor Landry made it clear during his campaign that it’s his priority, the time is now to get it done.
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In South Carolina, it’s a similar story. Constitutional carry had been considered in past legislative sessions, but sharp disagreement among lawmakers in Columbia stalled it each time. Similar to previous attempts, there is renewed debate between state House and Senate members over certain amendments to the bill. It’s critical that lawmakers reach a consensus and finally send a constitutional carry bill to Governor Henry McMaster’s desk, otherwise it will be law-abiding gun owners who continue to pay the price.
Constitutional carry is often misunderstood, mostly due to gun control activists distorting the facts and pushing data that is not grounded in reality. It merely enables law-abiding gun owners, who’ve already gone through federal background checks to purchase a firearm, to carry it in public without needing another permission slip from the government. Eliminating this unnecessary red tape will empower more people to defend themselves.
Critics argue that letting more responsible gun owners carry will somehow increase violent crime, but no reliable data supports this claim. Take Ohio, for example, which implemented constitutional carry in 2022 – gun crime has decreased in the state’s eight largest cities since the law took effect. Furthermore, there have been numerous instances of concealed carry holders thwarting violent criminals – over 100 examples in the last 90 days alone. It’s not law-abiding citizens who own guns that are the problem – it’s criminals who don’t follow the law.
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, nearly three-quarters of U.S. gun owners cited personal protection more than any other factor as the main reason they own a gun. While a sizable majority of gun owners (71%) said they enjoy having a gun, an even larger share (81%) say they feel safer owning a gun.
We see the firsthand accounts behind these numbers at the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), where the demand for self-defense training and educational courses, especially among first-time gun owners, remains at record-breaking levels.
The more than 800,000 USCCA members understand that firearm education and training are fundamental to their ability to protect. They don’t need a government mandate telling them to do it. Even in states that have passed constitutional carry, we continue to see record demand for firearms training classes because personal responsibility is central to personal protection.
The momentum for constitutional carry in Louisiana and South Carolina could not be more apparent. It’s time to finally get it done.
Mike Lowney is the president of Delta Defense, which operates the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, and the board chairman for U.S Concealed Carry Association for Saving Lives Super PAC.
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