It’s been more than a year since the North Carolina House of Representatives approved a permitless carry bill, but despite majority support in the legislature the bill is still in limbo thanks to Gov. Josh Stein’s veto.
The state Senate has successfully voted to override Stein’s veto, but the House has yet to follow suit. Republicans are one vote shy of a supermajority in the lower chamber, but the bill’s chances are further complicated by the fact that two Republican House members voted against permitless carry the first time around, while almost a dozen others didn’t cast a vote at all.
House Speaker Destin Hall has yet to call up SB 50 for an override vote, and with lawmakers out of session until after the November elections, time is running short to get the bill enacted into law. Still, Hall says gun owners shouldn’t give up hope.
The election is in November, but new lawmakers won’t be sworn in until January. It’s possible the legislature will return for more votes after the election but before the end of the year, and the House might try then to pass constitutional carry into law, he said.
“Any bill that’s on the calendar that has been vetoed, we intend to override at some point if we possibly can,” Hall told reporters this week. “I anticipate at least some of them will be overridden whenever we come back.”
Grassroots NC executive director Paul Valone told WRAL-TV that it’s unacceptable that the bill hasn’t come up yet, adding that “Speaker Hall needs to marshal his votes and get these people out to vote to override this veto, so that we can better enhance people’s ability to protect themselves.”
I understand and share Valone’s frustration, but I don’t know that this can all be pinned on Hall. Again, there are at least two “no” votes among Republicans, so Hall already has to wait until at least two Democrats are absent from the chamber before bringing the bill forward. And if there are other Republicans who are opposed to permitless carry but are unwilling to put that stance on the record, then Hall needs to have even more Democrats missing in action before calling up the bill for an override vote.
Another organizer with the group, Andy Stevens, recently wrote on social media to encourage his gun-rights-supporting followers not to vote for any House Republicans this year. Every seat in the state legislature is up for grabs, as they are every two years. “Let NC House leadership see the value of gun rights voters by leaving your House race blank or voting for a Libertarian in November,” Stevens wrote.
With all due respect to Andy Stevens, I think it’s a terrible idea to vote against Republicans who have backed permitless carry just to send a message to those who haven’t.
A better option would have been finding candidates to primary those representatives who refuse to support permitless carry. Unfortunately, both “no” votes won their primary election back in March, while permitless carry sponsor Keith Kidwell ended up losing his primary. That could end up being a big setback for Second Amendment supporters in North Carolina going forward, though Darren Armstrong, who won the HD-79 Republican primary, says on his campaign website that he has a “staunch commitment to preserving 2nd Amendment rights.”
Preserving is not the same as expanding, and it’s also worth noting that Armstrong’s website doesn’t contain any mention of or support for SB 50.
The bottom line is that while passage of SB 50 remains a possibility, it’s going to take some doing. North Carolina gun owners need to get involved and stay involved through groups like Grassroots N.C., contacting their lawmakers and urging them to help make North Carolina the 30th permitless carry state. Hall needs to be prepared to bring SB 50 to the floor if and when there are several Democrats absent in the lame duck session. And yes, we need at least two Democrats to not show up for work… at least if the two Republicans who voted against permitless carry refuse to change their position and support the bill going forward.
Editor’s Note: President Trump and most (but not all) Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.
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