According to the Courier Tribune, a new report from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations shows that the number of concealed carry permits increased from 177,787 in 2010 to 647,553 this Jan. 1 in the state.
In North Carolina, concealed carry permits have to be renewed every five years. These allow the holders to carry non-visible firearms in all legal venues in North Carolina. Handguns tends to be the firearm of choice for these situations.
North Carolina’s concealed carry law was passed in 1995, which mandates that permit applicants be certified before carrying handguns that are concealed in their bags, purses, cars and belt holsters.
To get the license, one must take an eight-hour course and pass a firing test to determine if the applicant can use a firearm a correctly. This process features a criminal and mental health background check and costs the applicant several hundred dollars.
Over 600,000 North Carolina residents have gone through this licensing process, which represents approximately 8 percent of the population. This puts North Carolina’s concealed carry rate as the 10th-highest in the nation in 2017.
North Carolina is a “shall-issue” concealed carry state, where sheriffs issue concealed carry permits to virtually all applicants, unless they have a felony conviction.
However, certain gun control groups want to turn the Tarheel State into a “may-issue” state, which would give sheriff’s more leeway in determining who can receive a concealed carry permit. Becky Ceartas, Executive Director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, declared “Law enforcement officials know that community best.”
However, bloggers like Sean Sorrentino support the idea of Constitutional Carry, where law-abiding individuals do not need a permit to exercise their right to self-defense.
Despite the frequent calls for gun control, Sorrentino argues that guns are a normal part of North Carolinian culture.
“It seems a little strange, and possibly even dangerous and antisocial, until you find out that the very nice real estate agent in your social group carries a gun because she once got attacked while showing a house,” Sorrentino stated.
North Carolina is a decent state for gun owners, with Guns & Ammo magazine ranking it in 25th place for best places for gun owners
