Green Berets Shouldn't Need Permission to Carry

Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10) just introduced legislation to fix exactly that.

Harrigan's Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act extends federal concealed carry authority to both active-duty and veteran special operations forces — the most firearms-trained warriors America produces. These are the men who meet marksmanship and tactical standards that most law enforcement officers will never approach.

Harrigan knows the fight firsthand. A Special Forces veteran himself, he didn't send other men into combat from a leather chair on Capitol Hill — he led them downrange. When he says these warriors have earned the right to carry, he's speaking from experience, not a campaign talking point.

Federal law already allows qualified active and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed nationwide under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. Special operators — men who execute hostage rescues, counterterrorism missions, and direct-action raids — get no such recognition the moment they hang up the uniform. That is an embarrassment.

Anti-gun state governments from California to New York have made it nearly impossible for law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights. A Delta Force veteran visiting his grandkids in New Jersey can face felony charges for carrying the same firearm he used to protect American lives overseas. Harrigan's bill ends that absurdity.

The legislation targets a real gap in federal law. Special operations forces undergo some of the most rigorous firearms qualification regimens on the planet — far exceeding what most concealed carry permit systems require of civilians or even police. Denying these veterans carry authority isn't a safety measure. It's political theater at the expense of American heroes.

This bill deserves immediate co-sponsors and a fast track through the House. Gun owners: contact your representative today and demand they sign on to the Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act. If Congress won't extend carry rights to the men who carried the fight to our enemies, the Second Amendment is already under siege from within.