A gun rights advocate gathers with others for an annual rally on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Monday, May 6, 2019. [AP Photo/Matt Rourke] ▲

HARRISBURG — If you have a clean record and qualify for a gun purchase, you should be able to carry that firearm hidden on you without having to get government permission.

That is the goal of legislation introduced Monday by state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-10, New Beaver, who has previously been vocal in his support of gun rights.

Speaking to a group of Second Amendment supporters and firearms owners from Beaver County who had traveled to Harrisburg for the annual Rally to Protect Your Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Bernstine said citizens who have done nothing wrong should not be forced to go through the state's current concealed-carry permit regulations.

Under his bill, law-abiding citizens would no longer be required to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Pennsylvania, according to a statement from Bernstine's office.

"If a citizen passes a criminal background check, it is patently unjust and unconstitutional to add layers of bureaucratic regulations on those who are least likely to commit a crime," Bernstine said in the statement. "The current process is a duplicative abuse of the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners."

He added, "Pennsylvanians that follow the law each day should not be punished or hindered just because they prefer to carry their weapon concealed."

Bernstine's bill would make available an optional concealed-carry license that would be valid in other states that have a reciprocal agreement with Pennsylvania. Nine other states currently do not require a license to carry a concealed firearm, he said. Current law does not require citizens to obtain a license to openly carry a firearm in Pennsylvania.