A state Senate committee voted Tuesday to eliminate a permit requirement for people who want to carry a concealed gun.
Current North Carolina law requires people to be at least 21 years old and take a firearms safety class before they can get a concealed carry permit.
Republicans like Sen. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, want to allow anyone who hasn't been convicted of certain crimes to carry concealed guns if they're over 18.
"Law-abiding citizens should be allowed to constitutionally carry," Britt said. "We believe they should be able to constitutionally carry without having to jump through the hoops that you do for a concealed carry permit."
But Democrats like Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, D-Mecklenburg, say the change would endanger law enforcement officers and the public. They argue the permit requirement helps police take action against people who shouldn't be carrying a concealed gun.
"You're going to kill police officers with this bill," Mohammed told his Republican colleagues.
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead also spoke out against the bill during Tuesday's meeting.
"This will undermine public safety, and I think we should take our time ... to study this a little bit more to get some more data and have conversations with law enforcement," Birkhead said.
The N.C. Sheriffs Association hasn't yet taken a position for or against the bill, he added.
Britt argued that other states that eliminated their permit requirements ultimately saw a drop in crime. But Sen. Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake, pointed out that crime rates have been on the decline in many places, and the two things aren't necessarily connected.
A similar bill passed House committees two years ago but didn't make it to a floor vote. This year, Senate leader Phil Berger says he supports the change.
