Anti-gunners like to claim they just want some "commonsense gun regulation" when what they actually want is something that won't stop bad people from doing bad things. What common sense actually looks like is getting out of the way of good, decent folks and letting them live their lives.
Which, of course, they can't seem to do, but at least one Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to try anyway.
Apparently, there are a ton of restrictions on traveling with a firearm in your car if you don't have a concealed carry permit. That needs to change.
A Pennsylvania Representative is looking to allow open carry in vehicles without a permit.
Under the current law, those who wish to carry a concealed firearm on their person or transport a loaded firearm in their vehicle must first obtain a concealed carry permit, something that Rep. Andrea Verobish argued should be a constitutional right.
Verobish argued, "Under current law, individuals who wish to carry a concealed firearm on their person, or transport a loaded firearm in their vehicle, must first obtain a concealed carry permit. While our Commonwealth recognizes the right to openly carry a firearm without a permit, that same right is not recognized once an individual enters a vehicle."
Yes, that is colossally stupid. Especially since a vehicle is private property and, for example, cannot be searched by law enforcement without either permission or a warrant. However, if you're openly carrying a firearm on your person, the idea that you become a criminal because you get into your car is beyond ridiculous.
Especially when transporting a firearm is an essential part of exercising your Second Amendment rights, which Verobish clearly gets as her memo also invokes the ruling in NYSRPA v Bruen.
In 2022, the United States Supreme Court decided New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, reaffirming that the right to “keep and bear arms” is not a second-class right subject to special burdens or discretionary government approval. The Court made clear that when conduct falls within the plain text of the Second Amendment, the government bears the burden of demonstrating that any restriction is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.
She's absolutely correct.
What bothers me, though, is that this is the epitome of common sense. This is so obviously the right thing to do, if for no other reason than the fact that if someone is openly carrying around town lawfully, getting into their vehicle is little different than walking into their home. They're entering their own property with a lawfully carried firearm. And yet, this is probably going to be an uphill fight.
The unfortunate thing is that we live in a day and age where common sense is so rare that it qualifies as a superpower. Because of that, anti-gunners in the legislature, to say nothing of the governor's mansion, are likely to oppose this and claim that this somehow makes everyone in the state less safe when there's absolutely no evidence of that anywhere.
It's sad that this is where we sit. It's pathetic that we're looking at a sensible proposal that does nothing to empower criminals and merely makes life more convenient for law-abiding gun owners, and we can already tell that this is going to be lucky to even get a vote, much less pass.
For what it's worth, if you live in Pennsylvania, reach out to Rep. Verobish's office and let her know she has your support, then contact your own representatives and call on them to cosponsor the bill when it gets formally introduced.
This is a small thing, and the fact that this is either going to get ignored by the leadership or become a major battle is a sad commentary on the state of our liberty here in 2026, particularly for a state so steeped in the history of the American Revolution like Pennsylvania.
