GREENSBORO, N.C. — On Tuesday, North Carolina republicans overrode the governor's veto to pass a new law eliminating the need to get a permit from the sheriff before buying a handgun. As soon as Speaker Tim Moore posted a picture of the veto override, people started responding with the next gun law they want to be changed in our state: constitutional carry.
The state director for the National Rifle Association, D.J. Spiker, also says constitutional carry should be their next big priority.
“Certainly in North Carolina, there's an opportunity for constitutional carry. We're up to 25 states with constitutional carry. It's a big push for the NRA,” Spiker said. “We certainly see North Carolina as an opportunity to pass constitutional carry. Again, removing some of these burdens of government permission to exercise your rights. That's where we think the next steps will be. We'll see how it goes. But that's where we're looking to shift our focus.”
What is Constitutional Carry?
So what is Constitutional carry? It's the belief that you have the right to carry a concealed weapon without needing a permit. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page explains how it would be different from our current setup.
“In North Carolina, if you want to carry concealed you have to apply. You have to be fingerprinted. There are background checks. Mental health checks. All these checks going on. And you have to go through a carry conceal class. About an 8-hour class. It discusses safety and use of a firearm. And all the concerns. And of course, there is a fee,” Sheriff Page said. “On the Constitutional Carry, if that passes, comes through our legislature and passes, then it would not require any of those processes. But still, I would advocate for safety classes. And still, I would advocate for training and teaching our kids about firearm safety.”
Republican lawmakers introduce Constitutional Carry bill
A group of 15 Republican lawmakers has already introduced a bill in the state House to legalize constitutional carry. One of the co-sponsors is Representative Kyle Hall from Forsyth and Stokes County. We reached out to his office Friday for an interview, but they said he was not available for the day. At the moment, that bill is still in committee.
A similar bill was also debated in 2017. Back then, gun rights advocates said the concealed carry permit process was backlogged and prevented people from their constitutional rights. Wait times in some places in North Carolina stretched up to six months.
“The number of people applying has gone through the roof. Terrorism, crime, all these things put together, people in urban areas want protection. It takes a long time to get it - the sheriff’s department is overwhelmed,” said Larry Hyatt with Hyatt Coin and Gun back in 2017. “The good citizens that carry their guns don’t cause problems, the criminals don’t follow the law anyway and carry concealed, so the good citizens are disadvantaged because it takes so long to get the permits.”
What happened after a similar bill was introduced in 2017
Ultimately, the bill did not pass after some gun safety class instructors started speaking out against the idea - saying they were concerned that people would not get training on how to handle a weapon.
“I know they won’t,” said Gun Safety Instructor Jack Baker back in 2017. “They are just going to take what they've learned from the internet and somebody is going to get hurt.”
Across North Carolina, more than 800,000 concealed carry permits have been issued. That's about 8% of all the people in our state.