LATEST UPDATE (1/27/2012): This weekend (by Monday, 1/30) I will send the entire list of signatures to the selected NC Legislature members including the 9 additional signatures since first submitted (or the actual number at that time.  I will also relate to them that these signatures support HB111 which is the actual bill that includes the articles I addressed.

Thanks again to all that have signed and keep sending this to your friends.

UPDATE (1/16/2012): Last Tuesday (January 9) the petition with 53 signatures was sent to the NC Senators and House members that have a GRNC rating of 1-4.  There are now 4 additional signatures.  If that number increases significantly over the next few days I will send the list again with the additional signatures.  Be sure to tell all your friends to sign.

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PLEASE NOTE: Some signers have signed with only a first name and one signer just used "Anonymous".  This petition does not require a mailing address, phone number or other identifying information.  However your email address is logged automatically.  Therefore a full name is requested in order for the signature to be placed on the petition that will be submitted to the Legislators.  Thank you to all the supporters!

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The 2011 session of the North Carolina General Assembly essentially promised to pass certain changes to the Concealed Handgun Carry Permit.

Background: At the begining of the 2011 session of the North Carolina General Assembly I sent a request to members of the NCGA that had a good to excellent rating in support of Second Amendment rights issues.  I also emailed the letter to many friends that support the second amendment rights with a request that they also contact the members of the NCGA concerning these issues.  Two of the provisions that I requested were as follows:

"(1)   The laws of North Carolina permit the state to restrict its citizens’ second amendment rights during any declared emergency.  Citizens more urgently need their firearms for protection when there is a local emergency and law enforcement is prevented from responding to emergency calls due to weather conditions or due to other duties related to the emergency condition.  This is true for all citizens but it is especially ridiculous for citizens that have gone to the trouble and expense of training, background checks, and fingerprinting in order to be granted a Concealed Carry Permit and who are an asset to local law enforcement and community security to be denied this right.  U.S. Department of Justice reports show definitively that states that permit their honorable citizens to obtain concealed carry permits have a decrease in violent crime against individuals.  It is only reasonable to believe that more legally armed citizens would result in a decrease in looting and other crimes during a declared emergency.

(2)   There is a redundant provision in the concealed carry law: a  concealed carry permit holder is not permitted to carry if he/she has ANY alcohol in their body.  It is redundant that a Concealed Carry Permit holder is not permitted to carry when eating in any restaurant that serves alcohol for consumption on premises even when the CCP holder is not consuming alcohol. Many states have now amended the concealed carry in restaurants provision as long as the CCP holder is not consuming alcohol and the restaurant derives a majority of its revenue from food.  This is only common sense because a CCP holder is already restricted from carrying a firearm if consuming alcohol and I totally agree with that restriction."

While the General Assembly did pass several improvements that I also requested including (a) the right for CCP holders to carry concealed in NC State Parks, two other provisions that I requested were not passed.  Another great piece of legislation that was passed was (b) the "Castle Doctrine" that protects citizens from prosecution when protecting their life and their family's lives by using deadly force against dangerous criminals intent upon attacking them.

By signing this petition you will be sending the following message to the State Legislature of North Carolina to pass the two provisions listed above. 

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Dear Representative or Senator:

We the undersighed hereby request that you introduce a bill into the 2012 session and vote into law the two following common sense changes to the Concealed Handgun Carry Laws of North Carolina.  We appreciate the related legislation passed in the 2011 session but it didn't go far enough.  The following two items are necessary to the law abiding citizens of North Carolina that have passed all the requirements and background checks to be issued a Concealed Carry Permit.  Many other states have already passed on or both of these items into law.

First:  Concealed Carry Permit holders will not be required to disarm before entering a restaurant that serves alcohol in addition to food and while the CCP holder is not consuming alcohol nor has any alcohol remaining in his/her body.

Second: Concealed Carry Permit holders will not be required to disarm during declared emergencies while traveling away from his/her property on essential tasks such as to purchase necessary items such as food, medicine, gasoline, other supplies, or for any other legal reason.

Signed,

Citizens of North Carolina

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By signing you will be authorizing your name and other requested information to be sent along with letter above to some or all of the Legislators in the North Carolina General Assembly before or during the 2012 session of the Legislature.

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