On March 24, 2023, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a Pistol Purchase Permit bill which was passed during the Jim Crow era in 1919. At the time, the Ku Klux Klan was rising in power, and was said to have been influential in the election of President (D) Woodrow Wilson, an stringent racist.
Critics of the law have claimed it was used as a means of discrimination to keep black people disarmed.
The bill, SB 41, passed with veto proof majorities in the House and in the Senate.
The Senate has 50 members. 30 of them are Republicans.
In the House, there are 120 members. 71 of them are Republicans.
In North Carolina, 3/5 of each chamber is necessary to override a governor's veto. That is 30 votes in the Senate and 72 votes in the House. Therefore one Democratic vote is needed in the House to override the Governor Roy Cooper's desire to keep the Jim Crow era law in place. Commercial sales of firearms would still be required to be conducted through federally licensed dealers using the FBI National Instant background Check System (NICS).
Passage of the bill would remove the ability of Sheriffs to delay or deny the sale of pistols. It would also remove some restrictions on the carry of concealed handguns in churches and create a "firearms safe storage" educational initiative. Here is an overview of the law from the North Carolina legislature:
OVERVIEW: Senate Bill 41 would:
•Authorize an individual who has a valid concealed handgun permit, or who is exempt from obtaining that permit, to carry a handgun in a place of religious worship that is also educational property if:
o The property is not owned by a local board of education or county commission.
o The property is not a public or private institution of higher education.
o The property is not posted with a notice prohibiting carrying a concealed handgun on the premises.
o The handgun is only possessed and carried on the property outside of school operating hours.
•Authorize concealed carry for certain law enforcement facility employees.
•Repeal the requirement to obtain a pistol purchase permit from the sheriff prior to the purchase or transfer of a pistol.
•Create a statewide firearm safe storage awareness initiative to educate the public about safe firearm storage, to facilitate the distribution of gun locks, and to provide local communities with a toolkit to launch local firearm safe storage initiatives.
At this time, it is not clear when a veto override vote will be taken.
Paul Valone is President of Grass Roots North Carolina.
Paul Valone, is well positioned to count votes of the North Carolina legislature. When this correspondent tallked to him at the Shot Show in Las Vegas, he believed one or more of the Democratic legislators in the House could be convinced to override Governor (D) Roy Cooper's veto.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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