N.C. Republicans Try Again on Permitless Carry

Lawmakers are back in Raleigh, North Carolina this week, and an override of Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of permitless carry is on the table. 

The Senate has already done its part, but House still needs to act on SB 50. The chamber didn’t take up the issue the last time legislators gathered at the state capitol because the votes to override Stein weren’t there, and gun control activists have been actively lobbying lawmakers behind the scenes and in front of the cameras to keep the current laws in place. 

“More people will die in NC if the House overrides Gov. Stein’s veto. The Senate already has,” Becky Ceartas, executive director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, said. “We cannot let this happen. Too much is at stake. Lives are on the line.”

Despite Becky’s prediction of catastrophe, there’s no evidence whatsoever that what she’s claiming will come to pass. 

Let’s take a quick look at homicide stats in two crime-plagued cities where permitless carry was adopted fairly recently. Louisiana and South Carolina were the 28th and 29th states to pass a permitless carry law, with both taking effect last year. What’s happened since? 

Well, in New Orleans murders are down by more than 20% this year, and down by more than 50% over the past two years. 

North Charleston, South Carolina has a reputation for being one of the most violent cities in the state, but police there reported a 30% decrease in homicides just a few days ago, along with a 22% reduction in robberies and a 10% drop in aggravated assaults. 

More generally, cities across the country are touting dramatic declines in violent crime and homicides, and that’s with more than half of the states in the nation having permitless carry laws in place. 

Permitless carry doesn’t change who can carry. The law simply states that if you can legally possess a firearm you can lawfully carry one without the need for a state-issued permission slip. Ceartas is fearmongering because that’s what anti-gunners do, but there’s no reason to believe that violence would increase if North Carolina becomes the 30th permitless carry state.

Now, it’s not exactly breaking news that gun control activists are opposed to an override of Stein’s veto. What is disappointing, though, is that a Raleigh firearms instructor actually hosted the anti-gunners’ press conference.

Tony DeRico, president and instructor at STOP [Strategic Tactics of Protection, LLC], stressed the importance of having proper training to handle weapons.

That includes knowing how to inspect a weapon to see if it’s loaded and laws regarding carrying one. He also supported maintaining background checks on those who wish to purchase and possess weapons.

“Without those parameters, you are putting up a wide open fence that will allow much harm to be done,” he said. “We don’t need to have young people who aren’t ready to have a firearm.”

DeRico, of course, has a vested interest in seeing that concealed carry licenses are still required in North Carolina. I’m sure that he’s he’s concerned about the effects of repeal, but those concerns would include a potential drop in the number of students taking his courses, which could mean a big financial hit to his business. 

DeRico might be pleased to know that LEPD Firearms and Range owner Eric Delber recently told me that concealed carry classes at the Columbus, Ohio store are full despite the fact that Ohio adopted its own permitless carry law three years ago. As it turns out, most people who are carrying a gun for self-defense want to be comfortable with doing so, and they’ll seek out training on their own even if the state doesn’t mandate it. 

None of the 29 states that has adopted permitless carry has seen fit to repeal the law, but Ceartas and DeRico are acting like North Carolina would be doing something unprecedented by scrapping its permit requirement. I don’t believe that North Carolinians are inherently less responsible than the rest of the country, and if lawmakers do override Stein’s veto of the permitless carry legislation my prediction is that Ceartas’ fears will soon prove to be completely unfounded. 

The biggest challenge supporters face at the moment isn’t Ceartas or any other anti-gun activist. It’s the makeup of the North Carolina House, where Republicans are one vote shy of a veto-proof majority. 

While one Republican who previously voted against the bill says he’s changed his mind, there are at least three other Republicans who are either opposed or noncommittal about voting to override the governor. Even if they absent themselves from the chamber while the vote takes place we’d likely need at least one Democrat to cross over and vote for the measure, which didn’t happen during the regular session. 

I wish I were more confident about a successful override attempt, but I think it’s going to be an uphill fight for supporters of the legislation. The evidence is clear that permitless carry isn’t the threat to public safety that gun control activists make it out to be, but logic and common sense doesn’t always when out when we’re talking about politicians. 

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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