NEW YORK -- The southeastern US state of Florida could soon become the 26th state in the country to allow individuals to carry concealed loaded guns anywhere without permits, a growing trend that has alarmed gun safety groups, reported NBC News.

Republican leaders in the Florida legislature said they intend to introduce and advance such legislation when they convene the coming legislative session on March 7.

Conservatives and gun rights activists have taken to calling the category of legislation "constitutional carry," even though no provisions in the Constitution explicitly allow for the right to carry concealed, unlicensed weapons, according to the report published Friday.

Gun safety and gun control activists, as well as neutral groups, prefer to label the category of legislation "permitless carry," it said.

In 2021, Arizona, Iowa, Montana, Tennessee, Texas and Utah enacted laws allowing permitless carry, and last year, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio did, too, according to the report.

Other states where lawmakers have introduced permitless carry legislation in the past two years include Virginia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Nebraska, though those efforts failed and continue to face an uphill climb, the report said.