North Carolina legislators passed a bill last week that would allow Constitutional Carry within the state.
The Freedom to Carry NC bill, also known as Senate Bill 50, would allow U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years of age and not otherwise prohibited to conceal carry a firearm without a permit.
SB50 narrowly passed the House with a 59-48 vote. It previously passed the North Carolina Senate in March with a 26-18 vote.
Current North Carolina is a shall-issue state when it comes to concealed carry permits. It requires a concealed carry permit be obtained through a local sheriff’s office. Before applying, residents must complete an approved gun safety course and pay a $90 fee.
SB50 would do away with those requirements and allow North Carolinians to carry without that process.
Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beuafort) presented the bill to lawmakers, saying, “It allows people to constitutionally carry a firearm without obtaining a permit from the government to exercise their God-given right to defend themselves.”
Those opposing the bill, however, said it would make communities less safe and law enforcement’s job a lot harder.
“This bill would make their jobs a whole lot harder and put them at an even greater risk,” Rep. Allen Buansi (D-Orange) argued during the lengthy debate on the bill.
Ultimately, the bill passed with 10 Republicans and 3 Democrats not voting.
The measure now heads to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s desk for signature, though Stein has previously indicated that he would veto it.
If the measure is vetoed, Republicans would have to muster enough votes to override Stein’s veto – needing a three-fifths majority in both the Senate and House. Gun rights activists say they are prepared to pressure lawmakers to see the measure pass.
“We realize that some members may have chosen not to be in attendance for the vote, and we will be channeling voter input to those legislators. Any Republican who opposes the wishes of the voters who elected him will pay a price in 2026,” Grassroots NC, North Carolina’s largest gun advocacy group, said in a statement.
“We have every confidence we can muster the votes needed to over-ride Governor Josh Stein’s inevitable veto.”
North Carolina currently has approximately 814,000 permits issued in the state, according to the USCCA.
If the measure manages to move into law, North Carolina would become the 30th state to enact Constitutional Carry in the U.S.
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I spent over thirty years working with people suffering from various cognitive and emotional disorders, first in the public schools and later in the community. My areas of specialization were intermittent explosive disorder, sociopathy, oppositional defiance disorder, socialized aggression, and similar labeled and unlabeled clusters of behaviors. I’ve been a crisis intervention counselor, supported and coached men who’d been institutionalized learning to reenter the community, and was a family preservation services case manager. Every mass shooting event involves a person that either was not spotted in time by my former profession or was not subjected to an even cursory background check that would have revealed their history/condition. My fear is that constitutional carry removes even that fragile defense against mayhem. I hope I’m wrong—and I understand I’m talking about a small percentage of the population—but my career has taught me “worst case scenarios” are usually wildly optimistic.