A Tennessee congressional candidate is calling for Americans to obtain a government permit simply to own a firearm — a proposal that would take federal gun policy far beyond concealed-carry permitting.
Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, a Democrat running for Congress in Tennessee’s 9th District, wrote on September 8 that he wants Congress to make a permit-to-own requirement a reality.
“Most reasonable firearm owners believe that a permit should be required to own a gun. I’m running for Congress to help make that a reality,” Pearson wrote.
Pearson’s statement is significant because he was not talking about obtaining a permit to carry a firearm in public.
He said a permit should be required to own a gun.
The September 8 post did not spell out how such a permit system would operate, what requirements gun owners would have to satisfy, or how the government would administer it.
But Pearson made his objective clear: he wants Congress to establish a permitting requirement tied to firearm ownership itself.
Congress Is Considering a Very Different Approach
At the same time, Congress is considering legislation aimed at expanding the ability of lawful gun owners to carry firearms across state lines.
H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, would establish nationwide reciprocity for qualifying concealed carriers.
Under the House Judiciary Committee’s reported version, an individual would generally qualify if he or she is legally eligible to possess a firearm, carries valid photo identification, and either holds a concealed-carry permit from the person’s home state or is eligible to carry concealed there without a permit.
That means residents of Constitutional Carry states are included even if they never obtained a government-issued carry license.
The House Judiciary Committee reported H.R. 38 favorably in 2025.
But H.R. 38 remains a reciprocity bill. It is not the same thing as National Constitutional Carry.
TXGR Supports National Constitutional Carry
Texas Gun Rights supports National Constitutional Carry as its preferred federal policy.
Under TXGR’s stated position, lawful gun owners should be able to exercise their right to carry across state lines without first obtaining a government-issued carry permit.
That presents a stark difference in the federal gun-policy debate.
Pearson is calling for Congress to impose a permit requirement on firearm ownership.
H.R. 38 would establish interstate reciprocity for lawful concealed carry, including protections for residents of Constitutional Carry states.
Texas Gun Rights supports going further by eliminating government carry-permit requirements for lawful gun owners exercising their rights across state lines.
Tell Congress to Support National Constitutional Carry
Texas Gun Rights is urging Congress to pass National Constitutional Carry and protect the right of lawful gun owners to carry across state lines without a government-issued permit.
Texans can use TXGR’s form to contact their members of Congress and urge them to support National Constitutional Carry.
