ARS Denounces North Carolina House Vote To Eliminate Requirements That Keep Guns Out of Dangerous Hands
June 7, 2017 – Americans for Responsible Solutions, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy combat veteran and NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, issued the below statement today on the North Carolina House passage of House Bill 746, a dangerous new proposal that would allow any eligible person to purchase a firearm and carry both open and concealed handguns in public without a permit. The House passed the bill 65 to 54. The bill fell seven votes shy of reaching a supermajority, which puts the bill below the veto override threshold.
Peter Ambler, Executive Director, Americans for Responsible Solutions:
Sheriff Ralph Kersey, Scotland County:
This week, Americans for Responsible Solutions released a new public opinion survey of North Carolina voters, which found overwhelming support for North Carolina’s existing permitting system that helps keep loaded, concealed guns out of dangerous hands.
Key findings from the survey include:
- Voters strongly support the existing concealed carry permitting system. Currently, North Carolina law requires a permit to carry a concealed handgun in a public place. To get a permit, a person must pay a processing fee, complete a basic gun safety course and have a clean criminal record. The State Legislature is considering letting people carry a concealed gun without a permit. 82 percent of North Carolina voters, including 80 percent of gun owners, think the existing requirement to have a permit to carry a concealed handgun in a public place should be continued.
- Voters strongly support existing handgun permitting requirements. Currently, North Carolina law requires all handgun purchasers to first obtain a permit to purchase a handgun, after undergoing a background check conducted by the county sheriff. 90 percent of North Carolina voters, including 88 percent of gun owners, think the existing requirement to have a permit to purchase a handgun should be continued.
- Voters strongly oppose guns on campus. Currently, North Carolina law prohibits carrying firearms on college campuses. 70 percent of North Carolina voters think that carrying firearms on college campuses should be prohibited.
Read the full poll results here.
The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling, on behalf of Americans for Responsible Solutions. The survey, which was commissioned on June 1, 2017, consists of interviews with over 650 North Carolina voters across the state.
Americans for Responsible Solutions also released a new 30-second digital ad urging North Carolinians to contact their legislators in opposition to House Bill 746. Watch the full ad here.
About North Carolina’s Gun Laws
North Carolina has some of the weakest gun laws in the nation, regularly scoring low marks in the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence’s annual Gun Law State Scorecard. The state fails to require a person to undergo a background check prior to purchasing a long gun from an unlicensed seller or require firearm owners to report lost or stolen firearms. The state also does not provide local law enforcement with the discretion to deny a license to carry firearms.
Learn more about gun laws in North Carolina here.