North Carolina House approves measure allowing General Assembly members to carry firearms
(The Center Square) – Elected officials would be allowed to carry a firearm in government buildings, courts and other restricted areas under a bill approved Wednesday by the North Carolina House.
Current law allows law enforcement officers and judges and district attorneys with a concealed carry permit to carry a firearm in public spaces. House Bill 47 would allow permit-holding members of the General Assembly and other elected officials while acting in their official capacity to do the same.
Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, introduced the bill and said it was influenced by an incident he experienced while leaving the North Carolina state Capitol.
“I actually have been accosted by other people outside the building, protesters, who were seeking to become violent,” said Kidwell, who has to keep his gun in his vehicle while in session.
Rep. Kandie Smith, D-Pitt, filed an amendment to remove members of the General Assembly from the measure, but it failed.
“We have armed police officers who do an excellent job outside of our doors,” Smith said. “We also have our most capable sergeant-at-arms on the inside, making sure that our needs are met. So, allowing firearms inside these chambers could prove to have some unintended consequences.”
Kidwell argued the General Assembly-appointed officers could not offer protection to members outside of the building.
Political tension boiled over in January when a pro-President Donald Trump rally in Washington turned deadly after rioters breached the U.S. Capitol, disrupting Congress during the certification of the Electoral College votes. Five people were killed, including a Capitol Police officer. FBI officials later warned that an identified group planned to storm local, state and federal buildings in opposition of President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
HB 47 is one of multiple bills filed this legislative session to expand gun rights in North Carolina. The House tabled House Bill 200 on Wednesday. It authorizes lifetime concealed handgun permits. The House also approved last week House Bill 398, which would repeal the requirement to obtain a pistol purchase permit from a sheriff’s office before purchasing or transferring a pistol, and House Bill 483, which makes changes to the pistol permit application.
The House approved HB 47, 69-45, and it now heads to the Senate for consideration.
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