Montana Constitutional Carry

Helena, Montana — The governor just signed House Bill 102 that is designed to allow Montana residents to carry a concealed gun without a permit in more public places. There is also a section in the bill that will limit public university officials from restricting gun possession on campus.

The purpose of the bill, as stated in Section 1 of the bill itself, states:

The purpose of [sections 1 through 11] is to enhance the safety of people by expanding their legal ability to provide for their own defense by reducing or eliminating government-mandated places where only criminals are armed and where citizens are prevented from exercising their fundamental right to defend themselves and others.

The above paragraph perfectly sums up all that is wrong with gun control and why allowing good people to defend themselves just makes sense.

This makes Montana the 18th Constitutional Carry State in the Union, which is a growing trend. Just this month, another state, Utah, passed a similar permitless carry bill, and it’s on the table in a few other states as well.

Montana Governor Gianforte said:

Our Second Amendment is very clear: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Every law-abiding Montanan should be able to defend themselves and their loved ones.

The bill will allow concealed carriers inside most places with certain exceptions like law enforcement and government buildings, as well as K-12 schools. This bill does not affect the owners of private property who will retain the ability to prohibit firearm possession in both private homes and private businesses.

Of importance to note regarding the university section of HB 102 — while it prevents the university from restricting gun possession on campus, there are certain caveats to this. For example, the college can require the firearm to be stored a specific way when not being carried.

They will also be able to restrict possession by students with former infractions like drug abuse or violence, and to college sports games or other events with armed security. There is chatter on the interwebs about a lawsuit getting ready to set the stage over the whole guns on campus thing, so we’ll do our best to keep you updated on things as they happen.

This law is set to go into effect on June 1st, 2021.

The bill can be read in its entirety, here.