North Carolina: Pistol Purchase Permit Repeal Filed

On April 7^th, Senate Bill 687 was filed, to legalize acquiring handguns without having to first apply for a permit. It is currently in the Committee On Rules and Operations of the Senate for consideration.

Senate Bill 687 repeals the statute that requires law-abiding citizens to obtain pistol purchase permits to acquire handguns. The pistol purchase permit was created before modern, computerized background checks existed. The federal NICS checks that licensed firearms dealers conduct are often completed in minutes. This relic that is the pistol purchase permit now only serves as a time barrier, an unnecessary fee, and a general inconvenience to the exercise of the Second Amendment. 

The need for such a reform was made quite clear last year when the Wake County Sheriff’s Office announced that they would suspend processing pistol purchase permits for at least a month in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which coincided with many citizens around the country seeking to exercise their Second Amendment rights for the first time. The prospective new gun owners of Wake County would have been left unable to obtain handguns for that duration, even if friends or family wished to loan or gift one to them. Fortunately, the sheriff reversed course after a few days and resumed processing permits. SB 687 will ensure that this cannot happen again.

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates.