North Carolina Governor Josh Stein issued the first vetoes of his administration last week, rejecting a slew of controversial measures sent to him by the Republican-led General Assembly.
Gov. Stein, who took office in January, issued his formal objections to three measures backed by the GOP, including a bill that would eliminate the requirement for gun owners to apply for and receive a legal permit before carrying a concealed loaded firearm in public.
Enacting a permitless concealed gun measure has been a long aspiration for state Republicans, but for gun safety advocates, Senate Bill 50 is a public safety nightmare.
Current state law requires a concealed weapons holder to be at least 21 years old and pass a background check to obtain a permit. The person must submit an application to the local sheriff and pass a firearms safety training course to obtain the permit.
The Republican-backed measure would eliminate these safety measures by lowering the minimum age for concealed carry and removing the background checks and a required training course.
According to several studies, states with weak or nonexistent permitting laws have a 10% higher firearm homicide rate than states with permitting requirements.
An analysis by GVPedia found that states that removed concealed carry permit requirements between 1999 and 2021 saw, on average, a 27 percent increase in gun homicides within three years of the change—the US as a whole saw less than half that increase during the same period.
In addition, suicide rates, gun thefts, officer-involved shootings, and workplace firearm homicide rates have all spiked in states that remove permitting requirements.
In announcing his veto, Gov. Stein reiterated the dangers that the bill would impose on North Carolinians, stating, “This bill makes North Carolinians less safe and undermines responsible gun ownership. Therefore, I am vetoing it. The bill eliminates training requirements associated with concealed carry permits and reduces the age to carry a concealed weapon from 21 to 18 years old. Authorizing teenagers to carry a concealed weapon with no training whatsoever is dangerous.”
“The bill would also make the job of a law enforcement officer more difficult and less safe. We can and should protect the right to bear arms without recklessly endangering law enforcement officers and our people,” Gov. Stein added.
Gun safety groups like Everytown for Gun Safety and their grassroots network, the North Carolina chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, and North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Action Fund have applauded Gov. Stein’s decision to protect communities across the state by vetoing the dangerous gun bill.
“In the military, I was trained to understand and respect the lethal power of a firearm. That kind of responsibility should never be taken lightly. Allowing people to carry hidden, loaded guns in public without a permit or training puts lives at risk,” stated Shannon Klug, a veteran and volunteer with the North Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action, in a press release.
“Governor Stein’s veto of permitless carry is a crucial step in keeping our communities safe. North Carolinians deserve to walk through our parks and grocery stores without the added fear of unvetted, concealed weapons around them. Thank you, Governor Stein, for prioritizing our safety over playing politics.”
While Democrats want to enact commonsense gun safety precautions, state Republicans have repeatedly shown their intent on making it even easier to obtain a gun.
Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, who co-sponsored the bill, said in a statement following the veto that he would pursue a veto override vote in his chamber.
“It’s past time for us to join the majority of states that recognize constitutional carry,” Berger said.
State Republican leaders are looking to align North Carolina with 29 other states that have permitless concealed carry, also known as “constitutional carry”. However, fewer than nine states allow permitless concealed carry as young as 18 years old. Fellow southern states such as Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama require the concealed gun holder to be 21 years of age or older.
According to WRAL, state Republicans might face an uphill battle to override Gov. Stein’s veto of the permitless carry bill. The House passed the bill 59-48 on June 11, with two House Republicans joining Democrats in voting against the measure — Rep. William Brisson, R-Bladen, and Rep. Ted Davis, Jr., R-New Hanover. And 10 Republicans missed the vote, including Representatives Allen Chesser and Tricia Cotham. Notably, Cotham also missed both the original vote and the veto override vote for SB41 in 2023, which repealed the state’s pistol permit and was ultimately passed into law.
In the Senate, no Republicans voted against the bill. But four Republicans missed the vote, including Senator Lisa Barnes.
Numerous polls have shown that Republicans are at odds with their constituents, with a vast majority of North Carolinians, including gun owners, supporting commonsense gun safety laws.
A 2022 poll conducted by Third Way and Republican polling firm GS Strategy Group found that 89% of all NC voters support requiring background checks for all gun purchases.
As of 2024, only 10% of Americans support loosening gun restrictions.
An Elon University poll released in April found that 3 in 4 do not support dropping the current concealed carry requirements, including the majority of gun owners and Republicans.
