Republicans in the North Carolina Senate approved a bill last week authorizing gun owners to carry handguns without a permit. The dangerous legislation is now headed to the House.
Under the bill, residents of North Carolina who are U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age, and not otherwise prohibited by law, would be able to carry concealed handguns without obtaining a permit.
North Carolina law currently requires gun owners to obtain permits from their local sheriff’s office in order to carry a concealed handgun. Concealed carry also requires a minimum of eight hours of training and the passing of a background check.
The chamber considered a myriad of proposed amendments to the bill, adopting five and defeating three of them. Eight (all from Democratic senators) were “tabled” — a tactic often used so that opponents do not have to record a “no” vote on a popular proposal. Among the tabled legislation were proposals to keep guns out of the hands of people experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as a bill that would require gun owners to safely store their firearms.
While many of their proposals were tabled, Democrats were still able to pass amendments to benefit slain officers and their families. Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed (D-Mecklenburg) proposed amendments to care for the loved ones of those affected by gun violence. Mohammed thanked his colleagues for voting in support of his proposals but expressed his wish that it wouldn’t come to that point.
“I urge you to stand with law enforcement, to keep the safeguards that protect officers and their families and the communities they serve, or you can vote to continue to put them in even more danger.”
Failed amendments dealt with requiring security systems in certain buildings — schools, government buildings, and hospitals — and strengthening gun laws at certain locations — for example, places selling alcohol, state property, and schools.
A similar bill is moving through North Carolina’s lower chamber. House Bill 5, or the NC Constitutional Carry Act, bears many similarities to SB 50. The main difference is it allows elected officials in the state to carry a concealed firearm “while performing their official duties if the official has a concealed handgun permit.”
House Democratic Leader Robert Reives (D-Chatham, Randolph) described the legislation as a “recipe for disaster.”
On average, 1,714 North Carolinians die by guns every year, or one North Carolinian every five hours. States with weak or nonexistent permitting laws have a 10% higher firearm homicide rate than states with permitting requirements. What’s more, suicide rates, gun thefts, officer-involved shootings, and workplace firearm homicide rates have all spiked in states that remove permitting requirements.
Rep. Tracy Clark (D-Guilford) held a press conference condemning the bills immediately following the Senate’s vote on SB 50. She accused Republican legislators of pushing the measures through without listening to community members and their wishes.
“They have rushed this through because they know if they actually took the time to hear from law enforcement, gun violence survivors, domestic violence victims and our constituents at large, it would become blatantly clear that the majority of North Carolinians do not want this,” Clark said.
A vast majority of North Carolinians, including gun owners, support commonsense gun safety laws. Eighty-nine percent of all NC voters support requiring background checks for all gun purchases, according to a 2022 poll. As of 2024, only 10% of Americans support loosening gun restrictions.
Original Source – https://ncnewsline.com By: Christine Zhu
Photo Credit – Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor
