The North Carolina Senate passed a bill Thursday that would eliminate concealed handgun permits, making it easier to carry hidden guns in cars and public places.
The Republican legislation also would drop the minimum age for carrying a concealed firearm from 21 to 18.
The bill's sponsor, Robeson County state Sen. Danny Britt, said people sometimes wait six months to receive their permits from local sheriff's offices.
"This allows law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. It allows law-abiding citizens to carry on their person, concealed, a firearm that they can use to protect themselves," Britt said.
By eliminating permits, the bill also would end the requirement to complete an eight-hour firearm safety course before being allowed to carry a concealed firearm.
No Democrats supported the bill.
"We want fewer guns and not more. We want more stringent restrictions about who gets guns, not to absolutely eliminate them," Sen. Sophia Chitlik, of Durham, told reporters.
Sen. Eddie Settle, an Elkin Republican, said evil people always will find ways to get guns. He evoked a 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people were killed at a health center.
"Nobody wants to shoot and kill anyone. We don't want to have to carry one. But as long as evil is in this world, it's going to be there," Settle said during the debate.
Raleigh activist Gerald Givens Jr. disagreed.
"When you remove guardrails, tragedies increase. We've seen in states that pass similar laws, officer-involved shootings rise, violent crime increases, and more lives are lost," Givens told reporters.
What's next?
A committee in the state House is considering a near-identical bill, and could take it up as soon as next week.
Rep. Tracy Clark, a Greensboro Democrat, said Democrats won't support it.
"We are united," Clark told reporters. "Democrats understand that this is going to risk lives... We cannot afford to lose one more person to gun violence."
A veto from Democratic Governor Josh Stein could prevent the proposal from becoming law. Republicans are one vote shy of the super-majority required for a veto override.
A similar effort failed in 2023 because not enough Republicans in the House supported it.
