Gov. Stein Promotes Public Safety, Vetoes ICE and Permitless Carry Bills
Late last week, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein utilized his veto power for the first time.
Stein prevented three dangerous bills from becoming law: one that would have eliminated concealed carry permitting requirements, and two that would have forced local law enforcement to work closely with federal immigration agents.
His reasoning was simple: the Republican-crafted legislation would have made North Carolinians less safe. Here’s what each bill would have done, and why Stein’s vetoes are a win for communities across our state.
Senate Bill 50: Permitless Carry
SB 50 would have removed the concealed carry permitting requirement in North Carolina. What’s more, it would have lowered the legal age to purchase a handgun from 21 to 18.
Concealed carry permits promote public safety for two reasons: 1) Acquiring the permit requires that an individual go through a mandatory safety training, and 2) Local law enforcement must issue the permit, allowing them the opportunity to perform a background check.
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. West Virginia ended its requirement in 2016, and gun homicide rates increased by 48 percent, handgun death rates rose nearly as much, and overall gun death rates climbed by 29 percent—all while gun death rates in the US remained relatively unchanged.
North Carolina saw 1,797 firearm-related deaths and 4,008 firearm related emergency department visits in 2023 alone. And guns are already the leading cause of death for children in our state. Lowering the age to purchase a handgun, eliminating background checks, and removing a safety training requirement certainly won’t solve these problems.
As Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead put it, “This legislation would have made it harder, not easier, for law enforcement to keep our communities safe. The Governor put public safety first, and I stand with him in that decision.”
Senate Bill 153 and House Bill 318: Mandated ICE Cooperation
The Trump administration has been carrying out cruel, chaotic, and unconstitutional deportations throughout the year. NC Republicans want to force state agencies to cooperate with them.
SB 153 would force state agencies, public universities, local governments, and law enforcement to work with ICE. Beyond empowering an increasingly authoritarian Trump administration, the legislation would further burden law enforcement. As Gov. Stein said, “At a time when our law enforcement is already stretched thin, this bill takes state law enforcement officers away from their existing state duties and forces them to act as federal immigration agents.”
HB 318 is designed to give ICE more time to deport individuals suspected of crimes– even if those individuals have not been convicted and even if the accused crime was nonviolent. The bill would require that local law enforcement detain individuals for an extra 48 hours past the period that they would have been released– an unprecedented attack on due process.
In the words of Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, “At a time when constitutional and due process rights are under attack, we must say something and stand up.”
One bill that would arm teenagers and eliminate firearm safety training requirements, another that would chip away at the constitutional rights of all North Carolinians– it’s hard to imagine a scenario where this makes our state a safer place to live.
Gov. Stein did the right thing by vetoing these bills, but the fight isn’t over. Republican leadership have said that they will attempt to override Gov. Stein’s vetoes. Call or write your legislators to urge them to uphold Stein’s veto and to continue keeping our communities safe.
