By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
While no vote has been scheduled so far, the possibility of a veto override by the North Carolina legislature to pass Senate Bill 50, a permitless carry measure rejected by Democrat Gov. Josh Stein, media in the Tar Heel State are not-so-subtle about ramping up opposition.
A report aired by WTVD in Raleigh opens with the recollection of a man shot more than 20 years ago in Michigan, and who now resides in North Carolina and attended what the station called an “advocacy event” Tuesday organized by North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Giffords and the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
Likewise, the North Carolina Newsline published a story Tuesday noting how Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead, appearing at a news conference with gun control advocates, said permitless carry is “dangerous.” The sheriff asserted permitless carry makes the job of law enforcement “more difficult,” because it would allow people aged 18 and over to carry without a training requirement.
But nobody appears to have discussed the fact that criminals, regardless of age, carry guns right now without training or permits, not just in North Carolina, but all over the country.
Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina, a Second Amendment advocacy group supporting the permitless carry legislation, told TGM via telephone that efforts are underway to convince lawmakers to vote for the bill. If the governor’s veto is overridden, it would make North Carolina the 30th state to adopt what many people generically call “Constitutional carry.”
Valone noted that this measure would allow permitless carry by people who would otherwise qualify for a carry permit. The veto override would require 72 votes for a “super majority” and Republicans have only 71 members in the House. There may be an opportunity to sway a handful of Democrats, or at least hold a vote when some members are not in attendance.
Valone was interviewed by WTVD, telling the station essentially what he’s explained in the past to TGM. Permitless carry would “remove the need for a government permission slip” in order for law-abiding North Carolinians to carry concealed firearms. But he threw in a question for WTVD viewers.
“What other constitutionally guaranteed freedom are you required to seek mandatory training for?” Valone challenged. “Are you required to seek mandatory training for voting, for example? I would think that that would be at least as important as your Second Amendment rights.”
Valone predicted there will eventually be an override vote, and he would like it to happen even if the effort fails, simply to identify who to gun owners who their friends and foes are in the legislature.
