NC Sheriff’s Association Backs GOP Push to End Pistol Permits

The North Carolina Sheriff’s Association made clear Tuesday it supports the Republican-led push to end the state’s pistol permit requirement.

The legislation to drop the permit requirement is contained in House Bill 398, which is sponsored by state rep. Jay Adams (R) and eight other Republicans.

HB 398 is titled, “Pistol Purchase Permit Repeal.”

WRAL reports HB 398 “moved through an initial House committee Tuesday on a divided vote” and enjoyed support from the NC Sheriff’s Association for the first time.

The NC Sheriff’s Association has opposed repealing the permit each time it has been tried in the past, but they now note the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks are making pistol permitting a duplicative venture.

Democrats voiced opposition to the effort to repeal the pistol permit requirement.

Mike Bloomberg-affiliated Moms Demand Action spoke out against the repeal as well, saying, “Our lawmakers just advanced a bill that would make it easier for people with dangerous histories to avoid background checks and purchase guns. They must have forgotten that their job is to serve North Carolinians, not the morally and financially bankrupt gun lobby. We’ll stop at nothing to remind them.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.