The North Carolina House of Representatives has passed legislation to end the requirement to obtain a purchase permit from law enforcement in order to buy a handgun, and gun rights activists at Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC) are cheering.
The bill had previously passed in the Senate on a vote of 29-19 and this week passed the House on a 70-44 vote, which GRNC says is a veto-proof majority. Senate Bill 41 has gone to Gov. Roy Cooper, who vetoed a similar measure two years ago, according to WRAL news.
“In passing Senate Bill 41,” said GRNC President Paul Valone, “today was a great victory for the Second Amendment…GRNC particularly thanks our members and supporters, whose thousands of emails and phone calls made this victory inevitable. We are confident that we will over-ride the inevitable veto by anti-freedom Governor Roy Cooper. Very soon, we will release more details of the vicious floor fight waged by Democrats to stop the bill, and the well-managed efforts Republican leadership used to stop it.”
Valone specifically recognized several officials including Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, as well as sponsors and ‘main movers’ of the bill including Sens. Danny Britt; Warren Daniel; and Jim Perry; and Reps. Destin Hall; Jay Adams; Hugh Blackwell; Allen Chesser; Kyle Hall; Bobby Hanig; Kelly Hastings; Neal Jackson; Keith Kidwell; Jeff, McNeely; Ben Moss; Mark Pless; Jason Saine; Carson Smith; plus Democrats who stood courageously: Marvin Lucas, Michael Wray, and Shelly Willingham, “and the many others whose co-sponsorship and votes who made the victory possible.”
According to WRAL, the 2022 elections put Republicans in firm control of the legislature, putting Democrat Cooper in a tough spot because they can override his vetoes.
“If all lawmakers are present and every Republican votes for an override,” the story said, “then only one Democrat in the House needs to join them to pass a bill into law over Cooper’s objection. On Wednesday, three House Democrats voted for the pistol permit repeal.”
Still, Valone’s group expects Cooper to veto the bill, at which point an override may happen.
