NC Gun Safety Advocates Roll Up Their Sleeves
A lot of important news got lost in the Signal mayhem this week. It’s understandable. The incident embodies the sloppy, careless approach of an administration that thinks little of consequences before making serious decisions. It was a reminder to be careful with your group chat. It was a surreal moment that forced us to confront our society’s emoji use.
But while the White House scandal has dominated the headlines, a lot of legislation moved through the North Carolina General Assembly. And a couple of the most consequential bills could end up being Senate Bill 50 and House Bill 5– Republican-sponsored permitless carry bills.
Permitless carry legislation would eliminate the requirement for gun owners to apply for and receive a legal permit before carrying a concealed loaded firearm in public. Gun safety advocates are deeply concerned, and have been hitting the airwaves to try and raise awareness of the danger of this bill.
Permitless carry is a public safety nightmare. Firearm owners would be able to carry a loaded, hidden handgun in public without undergoing any training in firearm safety. Background checks currently required by NC’s concealed carry law would be eliminated, and age requirements to carry a firearm would be lowered to 18 years old. More guns would be flooding the streets, flowing into the hands of people with little to no safety training or background screening.
We already lose too many North Carolinians to gun violence every year. On average, 1,714 North Carolinians die by guns every year, or one North Carolinian every five hours.
Permitless carry could take the lives of even more North Carolinians. 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.
NCGA Democrats proposed amendments to put more safeguards in place, but Republicans immediately tabled those proposals. From requiring safe storage practices to preventing someone in crisis from acquiring a gun, NCGA Republicans axed each proposal that would have mitigated some of the risks associated with permitless carry.
A vast majority of North Carolinians, including gun owners, law enforcement, and Republicans, support commonsense gun safety laws. 89% 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.
Things you can’t do as an 18-year-old in North Carolina? Buy a beer, rent a car, bet on March Madness.
Things you could do at 18 if NCGA Republicans pass permitless carry? Bring a loaded handgun in public with no training or background check.
This is the type of news that won’t flood your inbox, but it will absolutely have implications on our daily lives. And while the tireless work of gun safety advocates might not dominate the storylines, they deserve our recognition for working, time and time again, to keep us just a little more safe during chaotic times.
