RALEIGH N.C. (WNCN) – Although the North Carolina House and Senate recently voted to repeal the current pistol purchase permit requirement, state Democrats introduced a new bill this week that would not only keep the local pistol permit process, but also include rifles and shotguns.
House Bill 283 would require people to get a sheriff-issued permit for both pistols and long guns, like rifles and shotguns, or produce a concealed carry permit at the time of purchase.
The debate continues surrounding North Carolina’s current pistol purchase permit law, that state Senate and House leaders voted to repeal this year. However, former versions of the repeal have been vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper.
Activists and two sheriffs advocated that Gov. Cooper veto the most recent repeal, HB50, during a press conference this week.
“It’s another check and balance in the process,” Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said. “We have to do everything humanly possible to prevent injury from gun violence.”
The president of Perry’s Gun Shop, Hannah Perry Hopkins, said she supports repealing the pistol purchase permit, that has been in place for a century.
“North Carolina is one of the few states that does still require a pistol permit. For any other type of firearm, we run a background check here on spot, and we do get an instantaneous response from the FBI,” Perry Hopkins said. “The individual’s criminal background could have changed within the last five years, and we would not be made aware of that because that permit is still valid.”
