By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A member of the Board of Directors for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has sent letters to four leading members of the North Carolina House of Representatives urging them to override Democrat Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of Senate Bill 50, which would have legalized permitless carry.
CCRKBA Director John Petrolino told State Representatives Ted Davis, Jr., Stephen M. Ross, Howard Penny, Jr., and Jimmy Dixon their support is needed to override Stein’s veto, which prevented North Carolina from becoming the 30th state to adopt what is generically referred to as “constitutional carry.” If SB 50 becomes law, North Carolinians would no longer be required to have a permit to carry firearms for their personal protection.
The gun prohibition lobby applauded Stein’s veto, calling the Democrat a “longtime gun safety advocate.”
In his letter, Petrolino told the four state representatives, “Governor Josh Stein vetoed the will of the people.”
“Your support is needed to help make this legislation a reality,” Petrolino said. “Don’t disappoint your constituents and members of the Committee. You have a chance to do the right thing. By continuing to support the need to have a permit in order to exercise a fundamental civil liberty, you are supporting Jim Crow era laws that keep people disarmed. There’s nothing noble about requiring a permit to exercise a constitutional right and you have the ability to help change an unjust law.”
Petrolino isn’t alone in the fight over permitless carry. The National Shooting Sports Foundation weighed in Wednesday, noting, “Needless to say, gun control activists and antigun groups aren’t happy about that development. They prefer infringing on Second Amendment rights and penalizing law-abiding Americans instead of holding criminals accountable for their actions when they break the law. Gun control advocates are putting pressure on N.C. state lawmakers as the bill heads back to the House at the end of August where, if the lower chamber also overrides Gov. Stein’s veto, Constitutional carry will become law.”
In a prepared statement, Petrolino remarked, “This is a scenario where North Carolina should clearly yield to South Carolina and do away with a law that’s historically rooted in racism and classism. There’s no reason why North Carolina shouldn’t be the 30th permitless carry state.”
