North Carolina Mayors, Law Enforcement, and Gun Safety Advocates Urge Lawmakers to  Uphold Governor Stein’s Veto of Permitless Carry Bill

RALEIGH, N.C. — Today, volunteers with the North Carolina chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action held a virtual press briefing with North Carolinians Against Gun Violence. Participants included local leaders like Huntersville Mayor Christy Clark and Ahoskie Mayor Weyling J. White—both members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns—as well as Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood, who called on state lawmakers to sustain Governor Stein’s veto of SB 50, a permitless carry bill. The bill would allow people, including teenagers  18 years and older, to carry concealed handguns in public without a permit —effectively eliminating all safeguards put in place by the current permitting system, including background checks, safety training, and live-fire training. 

“Owning firearms is a way of life here in rural areas, and I support responsible gun ownership. However, Senate Bill 50 is downright destructive,” said Daelyn Edge, a volunteer with Students Demand Action. “Lowering the age to allow even college students to carry a concealed gun in public with no training or background check will have dangerous repercussions on our communities, both in rural Sampson County and in college towns like Durham.”

“Let’s be clear: permitless carry would open the door to more guns in more public places, in the hands of people who haven’t had any training or background check,” said Huntersville Mayor Christy Clark. “That is not a recipe for freedom or safety—it’s a recipe for more road rage shootings, more gun thefts, and more everyday arguments turning deadly. And the people who will bear the consequences of this decision aren’t lobbyists or politicians in the statehouse—they’re parents picking up their kids from school, grocery clerks stocking shelves, and first responders answering calls in the dark.”

“I am, and always have been, an advocate of the Second Amendment, but this bill is counter-productive to public safety. It places North Carolinians in danger, and leaders from both parties recognize this,” said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood. “This bill, SB 50, seems to be a solution in search of a problem. We have a process in place. That process works.”

Governor Stein’s decision to veto SB 50 wasn’t made in a vacuum. States that removed concealed carry permit requirements between 1999 and 2021 saw, on average, a 27 percent increase in gun homicides within three years of the change—the U.S. as a whole saw less than half that increase. In 2023, North Carolina lawmakers eliminated the state’s handgun purchase permit. In the 12 months following its passage, handgun sales increased nearly 11-fold—from 34,826 to 378,546— compared to the prior 12 months. In that same period, handgun sales in North Carolina surpassed the total from the previous 22 years combined, with the state experiencing 27 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive. 

Additionally, the majority of Americans and likely voters in North Carolina, 3 in 4, oppose allowing people to carry concealed guns without a permit in public, including the majority of gun owners and Republicans.

As Republican leadership pushes forward with efforts to override Governor Stein’s veto, lawmakers must put an end to political games and listen to the clear, united voices of local leaders across the state who are demanding that the safety and well-being of all North Carolinians come first, starting with sustaining the veto of SB 50.

In an average year, 1,714 people die by guns and 4,197 are wounded by guns in North Carolina. With a rate of 15.9 deaths per 100,000 people, North Carolina has the 23rd-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. 53% of gun deaths are by gun suicide. Read more about gun violence in North Carolina here.