Bill allowing concealed firearms without license proposed in General Assembly

A bill proposed in the N.C. General Assembly would allow gun owners to carry a concealed firearm without a permit if passed.

Rep. Larry Pittman, R-Cabarrus, proposed the Constitutional Carry Act, also known as House Bill 69, on Feb. 8. Three other representatives were also primary sponsors.

Brian Lewis, a lobbyist for North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, advocates for responsible gun ownership at the General Assembly.

He said the bill has gained support from people who believe the Second Amendment should not be regulated.

“To Rep. Pittman’s credit, I think he is representing those people.” Lewis said. “Rep. Pittman, I’m sure, can explain to you why he filed that bill."

Pittman could not be reached for comment. Rep. Beverly Boswell, R-Beaufort, another primary sponsor of the bill, said she was not interested in offering a comment. 

The current proposal follows a 2013 law, which allows guns on college campuses, provided they are locked and concealed in vehicles. 

House Bill 562, more commonly known as the five-year restriction, was passed by the legislature in the summer of 2015. The bill restricted background checks for prospective gun license carriers to five years prior to the licensing period.

Pittman's bill, which would allow unlicensed individuals as young as 18 to carry concealed firearms, has become a concern for some UNC students. 

Thomas Marshall, a first-year physics and music major, explained that he doesn’t believe the bill interprets the Second Amendment as the Founding Fathers intended it. 

“On college campuses, you don’t want people walking around with a gun — that’s a recipe for disaster," Marshall said.

Though he does not own a gun personally, first-year physics major Teng-Ru Fang said he has heard the licensing process is lengthy. 

“The gun licensing process can be frustrating and can seem inconsistent," Fang said. "I just think they need to work on standardizing the gun permit process.” 

Grass Roots North Carolina, a pro-gun rights advocacy group, released a press statement Saturday in support of the bill. 

“A powerful trend is sweeping across the United States in which 11 states have now adopted (or previously had) statutes under which lawful citizens could carry firearms for self-protection without obtaining burdensome permits,” the statement said.

Unregulated firearm ownership has symbolic meaning for many Americans, Lewis said. But he said the bill would trivialize permits many gun owners had to work for. 

Lewis said most advocates against gun violence that he knows are, in fact, gun owners themselves. 

“They take pride in their conceal-carry permits; it is something that they have earned," Lewis said. "They went through proper training, and they worked for it.”

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