ROCKINGHAM — Rep. Ben Moss, R-Richmond, is one of three primary sponsors of a bill that would allow North Carolinians to carry a concealed gun without a permit.
House Bill 5, titled the NC Constitutional Carry Act, was filed Jan. 20 in the N.C. House of Representatives by Reps. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, Jay Adams, R-Catawba, Moss, and Brian Echevarria, R-Cabarrus, and has support from 22 additional legislators.
The bill changes the state’s concealed weapons law to exclude firearms. However other items — including a bowie knife, dagger, metallic knuckles, loaded cane — are prohibited from being concealed off of the owner’s premises.
HB 5 would also allow elected officials to carry a concealed firearm while performing their official duties as long as they have a concealed carry permit.
Grass Roots North Carolina, a nonprofit group that advocates issues related to the Second Amendment, says the bill leaves the current permitting system intact to maintain reciprocity with other states.
“We thank Rep. Keith Kidwell for again defending freedom for North Carolinians,” Paul Valone, president of GRNC, said in a statement. “Twenty-nine states have recognized the right of lawful citizens to carry concealed firearms without need for governmental permission slips.”
Those states include South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Arizona and Utah, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.
“Despite naysayers’ predictions, exactly none of those states have experienced significant problems with permitless carry,” Valone said. “Grass Roots North Carolina calls upon President Pro Tem Phil Berger and Speaker Destin Hall to give prompt hearings and floor votes to House Bill 5…”
In a statement to the RO, Moss echoed Valone’s sentiment, saying that the states that do allow permitless concealed carry have had “no substantial issues” and “stable or declining crime rates.” “It’s time for North Carolina to follow suit,” said Moss. “Responsible gun ownership is a fundamental freedom, and I trust our citizens to protect themselves and their families. “That’s why I support Constitutional Carry — law-abiding citizens shouldn’t need government approval to exercise their Second Amendment Rights,” Moss added. “Upholding the Constitution and defending personal liberty remain my top priorities.” The group North Carolinians Against Gun Violence opposes the legislation, saying state residents would be less safe “by allowing firearm owners to carry a loaded, hidden handgun without undergoing any training in firearm safety or North Carolina firearms laws.” “What we would lose if we repeal concealed carry permitting – training in handling and shooting, safety, and state laws, background check, and the lowering of the age requirement – are all too dangerous to risk when it comes to public carry of firearms in North Carolina,” NCAGV says on its website. Both sides of the issue present statistics to back up their claims. NCAGV, for example, says that states with weaker or permitless carry laws have 10.8% higher firearm homicide rates, a 12.9% increase in officer-involved shootings and an increase in gun thefts. USCCA, on the other hand, cites information showing that violent crime rates in some areas have decreased and gun owners have stopped crime. HB 5 has been sent to the House Rules Committee.
