Maine Gov. Janet Mills, left, and President of American Constitutional Rights Union Lori Roman | Maine Governor's Office and Lori Roman LinkedIn page
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, left, and President of American Constitutional Rights Union Lori Roman | Maine Governor's Office and Lori Roman LinkedIn page
The head of the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU) has called Maine's policy of allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons without a permit an affirmation of citizens' rights to keep and bear arms.
"We applaud legislators and the executive branches of states like Maine where our representatives fight to preserve and maintain constitutional rights like permitless carry," Lori Roman, the ACRU's CEO, said. "After all, the fundamental purpose of government in our constitutional republic is to protect the natural rights of its citizens. Among these enumerated rights are the right to keep and bear arms."
Currently, 26 states allow concealed carry without a permit, according to a new tally of weapons permit laws by the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).
Vermont is often considered the pioneer of permitless concealed carry in the United States. The state's laws have allowed residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit since its inception. This practice is often referred to as "constitutional carry" or "Vermont carry."
The terms “constitutional carry,” “permitless carry” and “unrestricted carry” have distinct definitions in this debate, USCCA says. Constitutional carry refers to states where the law doesn’t bar citizens from carrying arms they can legally possess – sometimes in a concealed way or sometimes in an open manner. Under constitutional carry, however, states may require a permit for carrying certain concealed weapons.
Permitless-carry states include states where constitutional carry is allowed as well as those states that allow only certain individuals to carry weapons, such as those who have not been pulled over for driving under the influence for 10 years. In some cases, a permit may be needed to carry a concealed firearm in permitless-carry states.
In permitless concealed carry states, individuals can carry firearms if they are legally able to possess such weapons by meeting the requirements of federal and state laws.
The ACRU was established in 1999 to defend Americans against threats aimed at constitutional rights in schools, courts and bureaucracies across the country, according to the ACRU website.
The ACRU’s top priorities include protecting the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, association and religious liberty; defending the right to keep and bear arms as stipulated by the Second Amendment; advocating for economic liberty, including freedom from excessive taxation and regulation; and safeguarding fair elections through accurate ballot counting and voter registration, according to the ACRU website.
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