UPDATE ON GUN LEGISLATION as of June 2023
| FYI: Memo from NC Sheriff’s Association with up-to-date information on gun laws and firearms purchasing laws that affect you as a North Carolina citizen. |
| This year, several bills have been filed which create safe storage initiatives, red flag laws, and new crimes for failing to secure firearms. Other bills propose suicide prevention measures, drastically altering concealed handgun permitting requirements, and allowing employees of certain school units to carry weapons on school campuses. Obviously, not all of those bills have or will become law. In fact, bills which have not already become law this session and did not make crossover will have a very difficult, if not impossible, time becoming law this year. However, one bill, Senate Bill 41 (Session Law 2023-8) has already become law this Session and does the following: Repeals the pistol purchase permit for selling, giving away, transferring, purchasing, or receiving a pistol in this State. Allows anyone with a concealed handgun permit, or who is exempt from having to obtain one, to carry a handgun on school grounds if the school grounds also house a place of religious worship. The law allows for the carrying of a handgun on the premises of the school grounds only when the premises are NOT being used for curricular or extracurricular activities, school-sponsored activities (such as on weekends or during holidays), or for any programs for minors conducted by entities unaffiliated with the religious institution. Allows a civilian employee of a law enforcement agency with a concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun in a law enforcement facility so long as the person has been designated in writing by the agency head to carry the handgun and has in their possession written proof of the designation. The agency head is allowed to rescind this authorization at any time. Requires the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, to conduct a statewide firearm safe storage awareness initiative to educate the public about the importance of the safe storage of firearms. NOTE: The repeal of the pistol purchase permit was effective when the bill became law on March 29, 2023. Most of the remaining provisions of the bill become effective July 1, 2023. |