Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) is pushing legislation that would grant federal concealed carry authority to past and current members of military special forces.
The legislation is titled the “Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act.”
Newsweek reported Friday that, via the Act, “Eligible veterans and active-duty personnel would be granted nationwide concealed-carry privileges, effectively overriding state-level restrictions that can differ significantly from one jurisdiction to another.”
Upon introducing the legislation, Harrigan said, “Federal law already trusts retired police officers to carry concealed nationwide. That makes sense. But it makes no sense that an active or retired SEAL or Green Beret, someone who spent a career mastering firearms under the most demanding conditions in the world, has no equivalent recognition under federal law. This bill fixes that.”
He added, “It does not create new rights or weaken any safeguard. It simply extends an existing, proven framework to the warriors who have earned it more than anyone.”
Newsweek observed, “If enacted, the law would represent a significant expansion of gun-carry rights for service members and veterans, creating a new nationwide benefit not currently available to most civilians.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.