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While I Was Away – No. 3

July 24, 2017 by 1 Comment

The National Rifle Association’s Youth Education Summit (YES) starts today in Washington, DC. It is a seven-day educational experience for selected students from around the country. They will be visiting various places in our nation’s capital, will participate in discussions related to current events, and will have the opportunity to win college scholarships. The goal of the program is to promote active citizenship.

Congratulations to those selected from around the country.

From the NRA on the summit:

FAIRFAX, Va. – The National Rifle Association is
pleased to announce the students selected to attend the 2017 Youth
Education Summit (Y.E.S.), a seven-day educational experience in
Washington, D.C., scheduled for July 24-30, 2017.  

As part of Y.E.S., students from across the United States learn the
significance of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the
importance of being an active citizen as they visit memorials and
monuments throughout the nation’s capital. Scheduled stops include the
Capitol Building, the National Museum of American History, and the
National Museum of the Marine Corps, the National Archives, the Newseum,
Mount Vernon, and a safe introduction to the shooting sports at NRA
Headquarters. Students will also participate in discussion about current
events to have them learn from each other, to learn more about new
topics. Additionally students will be assigned a team debate topic,
which is meant to foster teamwork abilities, research capabilities, and
leadership skills. 

Students who excel in the week’s activities through demonstrating
strong leadership, public speaking, and debate skills will be awarded up
to $15,000 in college scholarships at the summit’s closing ceremony.
Following Y.E.S., an additional $25,000 in scholarships will be made
available through the Y.E.S. Grand Scholarship, which encourages
attendees to create a portfolio detailing the promotion of NRA programs,
like Eddie Eagle GunSafe® and Refuse To Be A Victim®, in their
communities.  

Any high school sophomore or junior in the United States is welcome
to apply to Y.E.S. The summit’s application process includes a written
essay on the Second Amendment, personal statement, transcript affirming a
minimum 3.00 grade point average, and three personal recommendations.
This year’s class of 46 was selected from hundreds of qualified
applicants. This year we are excited to have students from 35 states,
including both Alaska and Hawaii! 

The National Rifle Association launched the Youth Education Summit in
1996 (The state-level program started in 2002) to encourage America’s
youth to become active and knowledgeable citizens at both the national
and local levels. More than $500,000 in scholarships have been awarded
throughout the program’s 20-year history. Funding for Y.E.S. is provided
through The NRA Foundation from monies raised by Friends of NRA, a grassroots fund-raising program in support of the shooting sports.

2017 Y.E.S. Participants

Alaska: Grayson Davey
Alaska: Sophia Puliafico
Arkansas: Alex Henry
Arizona: Kira Dean
Arizona: Cristian Lee
California: Emily Cupp
California: Brent Hinchcliff
California: Isabella Orozco
Colorado: Gage Paris
Florida: Dennis Hull
Florida: Peter Leonard
Georgia: Sawyer Williams
Hawaii: Iceley Andaya
Illinois: Krzysztof Gajda
Illinois: Natalie Seaman
Indiana: Matthew Burton
Kentucky: Andrew Sisson
Kentucky: Allen Slaughter
Louisiana: Canlin Dionne
Louisiana: Jonah Finley
Massachusetts: Amby Tierney
Maryland: Madeleine Sateri
Minnesota: Therese Minwegen
Missouri: Mary (Mikey) Schad
Montana: Hanna Antonsen
North Carolina: Jared Lockhart
Nebraska: Jamison Sapp
New Jersey: Zelan Von Kaenel
New Mexico: David Velez
New York: Reade Ben
New York: Gianna Guzzo
Ohio: Quinton Taylor
Oklahoma: Jonathan McCormick Jr.
Oregon: Owen Vredenburg
Pennsylvania: Lauren Klima
South Carolina: Brad Lehman
Tennessee: Lincoln Dillman
Texas: Kaitlyn Callaway
Texas: Stephen Garner
Texas: Denise Shaffer
Utah: Marlie Root
Virginia: Rylie Pennell
Washington: Simon Sefzik
Wisconsin: Emily Rasmussen
West Virginia: Katelyn Sette
Wyoming: Kaden Gaukel
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While I Was Away – No. 2

July 24, 2017 by 1 Comment

Continuing on with the things I missed while at the beach are these two announcement from the Firearms Policy Coalition regarding bullet buttons and proposed ammo regulations in California. The FPC is a multi-state coalition of gun rights groups headquartered in California. They have been keeping a close eye on the regulations being developed for the enforcement of recently enacted firearms laws and propositions.

When you are headquartered in a state where the progressives have a monopoly on virtually everything, you have to fight back anyway you can. Showing that they have learned Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals and especially Rule No. 4, the Firearms Policy Coalition is making the California Department of Justice live up to all those progressive laws dealing with public notice and freedom of information.

On bullet buttons:

SACRAMENTO, CA (July 21, 2017) — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) has obtained a copy of the newest version of the California Department of Justice (DOJ) “assault weapons” regulations. FPC has published the regulations at BulletButtonBan.com, a Web site it established in 2016 for tracking the new California assault weapon laws and regulations.

“FPC’s Regulatory Watch program has once again proved its value in ensuring that the State of California does not advance its gun control agenda behind closed doors,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. “Without this program, countless gun-owning Californians would be in the dark about their future.”

Last December, the DOJ submitted its first attempt at “assault weapons” regulations under the California Office of Administrative Law’s (OAL) “File & Print” process, which means that the DOJ believed the regulations were not subject to public notice or comment. However, thousands of FPC members and Second Amendment supporters sent letters opposing the secret process through FPC’s grassroots tools and, without further comment, the DOJ withdrew the regulations near the end of OAL review period.

In May (a quarter of a year later), the DOJ re-submitted regulations under the same “File & Print” process. It took numerous legal demands to DOJ and OAL to finally get OAL to provide FPC with a copy of the proposed regulations. Following DOJ’s numerous attempts at hiding firearm regulations from the public, Craig DeLuz, FPC’s Legislative Advocate, and FPC filed a legal action against DOJ (DeLuz, et al. v California Department of Justice) in order to ensure that in the future DOJ complies with the California Constitution and Public Records Act.

In the end, these proposed regulations were summarily rejected by OAL a little more than a month later. And now DOJ has submitted almost the same exact regulations, appearing only to have changed the implementation date from January 1, 2018 to July 1, 2018. This new date was established by AB 103, a recently approved budget trailer bill.

“At first glance, the DOJ’s latest package of ‘assault weapons’ regulations are as awful as their first two attempts,” noted DeLuz. “It appears that DOJ keeps submitting the same proposed regulations, over and over again, expecting different results. Isn’t that the definition of insanity?”

The second announcement has to do with California’s proposed ammunition regulations and the hearings seeking feedback.

SACRAMENTO, CA (July 20, 2017) — Adding to the growing list of its legal woes, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) was forced to issue a new regulatory notice and postpone a hearing regarding their recently-submitted regulations concerning new ammunition vendors and licenses. Many new ammunition laws were passed last year in Gavin Newsom’s so-called “Safety for All Act” (Proposition 63) and in Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León’s Senate Bill 1235 (SB 1235).

As part of its California regulatory watch program, which holds the State accountable for the improper implementation of various gun control laws, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) recently discovered the new DOJ ammunition sales regulations. That new regulation was officially published in the State’s Friday, July 14 Notice Register, but wasn’t clearly accessible to the public until the morning of Monday, July 17.

“In order for citizens and interested groups to be given an opportunity to advocate for their rights and policy preferences, the DOJ must follow the law,” said Craig DeLuz, a lobbyist and spokesperson for the Firearms Policy Coalition. “We are here to make sure they do.”

On July 17, FPC delivered a letter to DOJ advising them that they had not sent any notification about this proposed rulemaking using the DOJ’s e-mail based notification system it established and solicited participation in for that express purpose. The FPC letter also noted that none of the regulation documents that were discussed in the DOJ’s notice could be found on the Attorney General’s Web page listed in the Notice Register. FPC concluded that the public did not receive proper notice and demanded that DOJ remedy the defects.

Just two days later, on July 19, DOJ e-mailed their entire regulatory notice list — which they had initially failed to do — and said that the hearing for public comment, which was originally scheduled to take place August 28, had been pushed back to September 12 — allowing more time for the public and advocacy organizations like FPC to analyze them and weigh in. Additionally, DOJ updated the public notice to reflect a different Web page that contained a working link to the proposed new regulations and forms.

“When law-abiding citizens and small businesses risk fines and jail time for not following the law, the least the DOJ can do is follow the law themselves,” commented DeLuz. “While their latest move is a step in the right direction, they still have a long way to go. We’ll be keeping an eye on them.”

At www.DOJregwatch.com and its companion page, www.bulletbuttonban.com, FPC tracks DOJ firearm-related rulemakings and provides the public with links to the documents and updates. FPC’s goal is to ensure that the regulations proposed are legal, available to the public, and follow all public notice and comment requirements in the California Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and applicable laws.

So far, FPC has so far been successful in repeatedly thwarting DOJ’s attempts to create law by executive fiat under the guise of the regulatory process. Previously, DOJ was forced to withdraw its proposed “large capacity magazine” and “Bullet Button Assault Weapon” regulations. More recently, the Office of Administrative Law rejected DOJ’s second attempt at issuing “Bullet Button Assault Weapon” regulations.

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While I Was Away – No. 1

July 24, 2017 by

We got back from our multi-family vacation to the beach on Saturday night. A good time was had by all. I will try to get back into the swing of things with a series of posts on thing I missed reporting on last week.

Paul Valone, President of Grass Roots North Carolina, is now be hosting a terrestrial radio show on WFBT, FM 106.7, out of Wilmington, NC. The show entitled “Guns, Politics, & Freedom” will air on Sundays at 5pm Eastern. The aim of the show is to give gun rights advocates new ammunition in our fight for these rights. Four episodes have broadcast and archived shows can be found here.

Paul has more details in his release about it below:

Drawing on 23 years as a leader in the gun rights movement, F. Paul Valone is hosting a new show entitled “Guns, Politics & Freedom” on Sundays at 5:00 PM Eastern as part of the “Sunday Night Political Power Block” on conservative talk station WFBT, 106.7 (Wilmington, NC), which streams live nationally at www.WilmingtonBigTalker.com


Recent shows have included interviews with self-defense legal expert Andrew Branca (“The Law of Self-Defense”) and constitutional law professor Greg Wallace (“The Second Amendment in the courts: What comes after Heller?”). Upcoming shows will feature internationally renowned defensive firearm guru John Farnam and widely published concealed handgun researcher Dr. John R. Lott of the Crime Prevention Research Center.

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SAF Sues On Behalf Of Foster Parents In Michigan

July 18, 2017 by 3 Comments

While posting will be sporadic this week as I’m on vacation with my family, I did come across this from the Second Amendment Foundation. They are suing the state of Michigan because of their policies regarding firearms and foster or adoptive parents.

From SAF:

The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a federal lawsuit against the head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on behalf of four Michigan residents, alleging civil rights violations under color of law for enforcing restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of people who want to be foster or adoptive parents.

SAF is joined in the lawsuit by William and Jill Johnson and Brian and Naomi Mason. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleges that MDHHS caseworkers told Mr. Johnson, a 100-percent disabled Marine Corps veteran who sought custody of his grandson that he would have to give the agency the serial numbers of all of his firearms. When he questioned this, the caseworkers allegedly told him, “If you want to care for your grandson you will have to give up some of your constitutional rights.” This was after the state asked the Johnsons to be foster parents to their grandson.

Two weeks later, the lawsuit alleges, a Gogebic County Court judge told the Johnsons that if they wanted their grandson placed in their care, “We know we are violating numerous constitutional rights here, but if you do not comply, we will remove the boy from your home.”

“The statements from the caseworker and judge are simply outrageous,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “This amounts to coercion, with a child as their bartering chip. I cannot recall ever hearing anything so offensive and egregious, and we’ve handled cases like this in the past. Blatantly telling someone they must give up their civil rights in order to care for their own grandchild is simply beyond the pale.”

The lawsuit asserts that “the policy of the MDHHS, by implementing requirements and restrictions that are actually functional bans on the bearing of firearms for self-defense, both in and out of the home, completely prohibits foster and adoptive parents, and those who would be foster or adoptive parents, from the possession and bearing of readily-available firearms for the purpose of self-defense. This violates Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.”

The Johnsons and Masons reside in Ontanogan, a small community on the north shore of the Upper Peninsula, on Lake Superior. Mr. Mason has been the Pastor at the Ontonagon Baptist Church in Ontonagon for nine years. He is also the Chair of the Ontonagon County Department of Health and Human Services Board.

“This is a case we simply must pursue,” Gottlieb said. “State agencies and the people who work in those agencies simply cannot be allowed to disregard someone’s civil rights.”

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Head Of Vista Outdoor Exits

July 11, 2017 by

Mark DeYoung, CEO of Vista Outdoor, suddenly retired from his executive position as well as the Board of Directors yesterday. The report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (see below) notes that he won’t be staying on in any role with the company. DeYoung was CEO of ATK (formerly Alliant Technologies) when it split into two companies after merging with Orbital Sciences. He made the decision to go with the sporting and outdoor portion of the company rather than the aerospace and defense related portion.

Vista Outdoor is the parent holding company for Savage Arms, Stevens, Federal ammunition, Speer, RCBS, Weaver and Redfield scopes, and a large number of other well-known brands.

From their 8-K filing:

On July 10, 2017, the Board of Directors of Vista Outdoor Inc. (“Vista Outdoor” or the “Company”) announced that it has elected Michael Callahan, the Company’s current Lead Independent Director, to serve as interim Chairman and Chief Executive Officer effective July 11, 2017, replacing Mark W. DeYoung. Mr. DeYoung has elected to retire from the Company’s Board of Directors and role as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 11, 2017 (the “Retirement Date”).

Mr. Callahan, age 67, has more than 40 years of experience in the sporting goods industry, and has served as Lead Independent Director of Vista Outdoor since the Company spun off from ATK in February 2015. He has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Partners, a Utah-based consultant to the outdoor sporting industry, since 2008. From 1990 until his retirement in 2008, Mr. Callahan served in various merchandising, marketing, management and senior executive positions with Cabela’s, Inc., most recently as Senior Vice President Business Development & International Operations where he was responsible for M&A and spearheaded Cabela’s expansion into Canada. Mr. Callahan is a member of the Board of the Midway USA Foundation and formerly served as a member of the Board of Bushnell Outdoor Products, Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and Vice Chairman of the Outdoor Business Council of the US Sportsmen’s Alliance.

In connection with Mr. DeYoung’s retirement, the Company has entered into a Waiver and General Release Agreement with Mr. DeYoung (the “Agreement”). In exchange for his waiver of claims against the Company, the Agreement provides Mr. DeYoung a lump-sum cash payment in an amount equal to his current base salary ($1,081,500); a pro-rata portion of his annual bonus (based on the Company’s actual performance for the entire fiscal year); accelerated vesting of his outstanding time-based restricted stock, restricted stock unit and stock option awards that would have vested had he remained employed by the Company for 12 months following his Retirement Date; a pro rata portion of his performance-based long-term incentive awards that would have vested on the next vesting date based on actual performance; company-paid COBRA premiums under Vista Outdoor’s health and welfare plans until 18 months following the Retirement Date; and the ability for Mr. DeYoung to participate in the Company’s Employee Purchase Program as if he remained an employee of the Company. The Employee Purchase Program allows all employees of the Company to purchase Company products at a discount. The foregoing description of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Agreement filed as exhibit 10.1 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.

At the time of filing, the Company has not finalized a compensatory arrangement with Mr. Callahan in connection with his appointment to the position of interim Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The entry of the Company of any such material compensatory or other arrangements with Mr. Callahan will be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

I’m not sure why Mr. DeYoung suddenly retired as he was slated to stand for election to the Board of Directors in August. However, Vista Outdoor’s stock price is now about half what it was merely one year ago. According to the conference call today, the Board and Mr. DeYoung decided to “accelerate his retirement”.  Mr. Callahan has said he will not be a candidate for the permanent CEO position. They are denying that there is anything to read into the fact that the announcement of his retirement was very sudden. At least that is what they are saying.

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NICS Checks Down For June

July 11, 2017 by 1 Comment

The National Shooting Sports Foundation adjusted figure for June 2017 shows a 10.9% decline from the same month in 2016.

From NSSF:

The June 2017 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,016,213 is a decrease of 10.9 percent compared to the June 2016 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,140,088. For comparison, the unadjusted June 2017 FBI NICS figure 1,888,266 reflects an 11.1 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,123,334 in June 2016.

You can see that graphically below:

However, if you study that graphic and read the numbers you should realize that the sky isn’t falling. It is the second highest June on record and the NSSF-adjusted NICS number is still over 1 million checks. Gun sales are probably down from last summer when it appeared that anti-gun Hillary Clinton was going to ride into office after defeating what the media and the experts considered a weak and absurd Republican nominee. Of course we know now that she was the weak candidate and that Donald Trump wasn’t that weak of a candidate.

As with all reports of NICS figures it should be remembered that they do not have a perfect correlation with firearm sales. In many states a carry permit substitutes for a NICS check. Moreover, the NICS check system is also used by many states for permit background checks and rechecks. The NSSF allows for these checks and rechecks when making their adjustments to the reported monthly NICS figures.

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Want To Buy A Shockwave Or Tac-14 In Oregon?

July 10, 2017 by 7 Comments

If you want to buy a Mossberg Shockwave or a Remington Tac-14, you may have to wait a while. According to the Oregon Firearms Federation, the Oregon State Police who are tasked with background checks in that state have put a “hold” on all transfers involving those two firearms. They are now waiting on a ruling from the Oregon Department of Justice.

As you will remember, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has decided that these 14 inch firearms built on shotgun receivers having an overall length of greater than 26 inches, and with a bird’s head grip are not shotguns but rather generic firearms.

More on this from the Oregon Firearms Federation:

Oregon law describes “short barrel” shotguns as:

“a shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun if the weapon has an overall length of less than 26 inches.”

However, Oregon law does not define what a “shotgun” is.

Under Federal law, these are not shotguns at all since they are not designed to be fired from the shoulder. These firearms are not considered to have been “made from a shotgun” either since they come from the factory configured with no stock.

While Oregon law prohibit shotguns with barrels shorter than 18 inches, it provides for an “affirmative defense” if the shotgun “was registered as required under federal law.”

Of course, these guns cannot be “registered” under Federal law because they are not regulated under the NFA.

As you may know, many of these guns have already been transferred with OSP approval. OSP has no word on what will happen to people who bought them legally prior to this new policy.
OSP has promised to provide a copy of whatever determination the Department of Justice makes on these guns. If we receive it we will provide it.

 In some states such as North Carolina, there is a definition of any other weapon that more restrictive than the federal law. For example, NCGS § 14-288.8(c)(2) states that a weapon other than a shotgun with a bore greater than 1/2 inch is considered a “weapon of mass death and destruction” unless it is registered under the NFA. This would seem to preclude the sale of the Shockwave and Tac-14 in North Carolina. However, Oregon law has no such definition. Any move to ban their transfer would be stretching the law for political purposes. Unfortunately, given the state of affairs in Oregon in recent years that would not be shocking.

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Finally Confirmed – S&W Buys Suppressor Maker Gemtech (Updated)

July 5, 2017 by 1 Comment

In what has to be considered the worst kept secret on the Interwebs, it was finally confirmed today that Smith & Wesson division of American Outdoor Brands Corp. is buying suppressor maker Gemtech (Gemini Technologies). The Firearm Blog announced it as breaking news on Sunday, July 2nd, and many people posted this to Facebook including myself.

Given that AOBC is a public company, SEC Regulation FD requires “companies to distribute material information in a manner reasonably designed to get that information out to the general public broadly and non-exclusively.” A purchase of this magnitude would certainly have been “material”. I kept looking for a news release on AOBC’s investor relations website as well as for a 8-K filing on the SEC’s website regarding this purchase. 8-K filings usually are simultaneous with new releases though a company has up to four business days to make the filing. I could not find anything official on the purchase of Gemtech.

While I assumed that there was indeed a transaction that was going to take place, not having official confirmation told me one of two things. First, that the transaction wasn’t a done deal yet and maybe there was a snag in the negotiations. Second, it could have meant – and I think this is what happened here – that someone, somewhere jumped the gun on the announcement and violated a non-disclosure agreement.

I think the timing is right for both companies involved. S&W competitors Ruger and SIG both now produce their own suppressor lines. So, too, does Remington with their AAC division. The purchase of Gemtech now allows S&W into the game at a significant level without having to start from scratch. It may also signify a vote of confidence on the part of AOBC and S&W that the Hearing Protection Act will pass as either a stand alone bill or as part of the SHARE Act.

According to Gemtech’s website, they have been in the suppressor business since 1976. While I don’t know how the ownership of Gemtech is structured, I’m guessing that what we are seeing here is a situation similar to that of Crimson Trace. The founder(s) have reached a point where they want to relax a bit and this gives them the opportunity to cash out while still maintaining a presence. Thus, the purchase of Gemtech by S&W becomes a win-win situation for all involved.

The official release is below and notes that the current CEO of Gemtech, Ron Martinez, will stay on as General Manager.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., July 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — American Outdoor Brands Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: AOBC), a leading manufacturer of firearms and a provider of quality accessory products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast, today announced that its firearms business, Smith & Wesson Corp., has agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of Gemini Technologies, Incorporated (“Gemtech”), a provider of high quality suppressors and accessories for the consumer, law enforcement, and military markets.

James Debney, President and CEO of American Outdoor Brands, said, “Gemtech is widely recognized for producing some of the finest rifle and pistol suppressors in the market. Gemtech’s strong product development capabilities, combined with our experience in brand management and our manufacturing expertise, will help us to efficiently develop both firearms and suppressors, minimizing our time to market for both product categories. We view this acquisition as opportunistic, allowing us to enter the suppressor category, which resonates strongly with our core firearm consumer, at a time when the market is particularly soft. These elements combine to make Gemtech an excellent fit with our long term strategy.”

The company intends to complete the acquisition of Gemtech utilizing cash on hand and expects the transaction to close this summer. Ron Martinez, President of Gemtech, will continue in his leadership role as General Manager, heading up the company’s strong team located in Eagle, Idaho.

UPDATE: On Monday I had written Liz Sharp, VP for Investor Relations at AOBC, inquiring why there was no release on the purchase of Gemtech and asked if the info had leaked prior to the official release. I got a response back last night after I had written this post. It seems that since AOBC didn’t buy Gemtech but just their assets it was not considered “material”.

Hello, John, and thank you for the inquiry. Yes, Smith & Wesson will purchase the assets of Gemtech in a transaction that we plan to close this summer. Since the transaction is an asset purchase and not deemed to be material, we announced the transaction internally to our employees prior to the holiday, and externally via a press release this morning. … We believe this is a great fit with our strategy. Please let me know if I can help further, and thanks again for the inquiry.

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Happy Free Fishing In North Carolina Day

July 4, 2017 by 2 Comments

The North Carolina General Assembly authorizes one day a year as “free fishing day”. That day is always July 4th. It allows residents and non-residents alike to fish anywhere in the state without a fishing license or trout license for free.

From the NC Wildlife Resource Commission:

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 20, 2017) — July 4 is “free fishing day” in North Carolina where everyone — residents and non-residents alike — can fish in any public body of water from 12:01 a.m. to 11: 59 p.m., without having to purchase a fishing license or additional trout privilege license.

While anyone 16 years and older can fish recreationally in all public waters, including saltwater, without a license on July 4, all other fishing regulations, such as length and daily possession limits, as well as bait and tackle restrictions, apply.

To make “free fishing day” more enjoyable, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stocks a variety of fish in public, inland waters across the state throughout the year to give anglers a better chance of catching fish. Cool mountain waters are stocked with brook, brown and rainbow trout, as well as walleye and muskellunge. In warm waters, Commission staff stocks largemouth bass, American shad, striped bass, channel catfish and sunfishes.

In addition to stocking fish, the Commission has interactive fishing and boating maps on its website to make finding a spot to fish easier.

Authorized by the N.C. General Assembly and enacted in 1994, North Carolina’s annual free fishing day always falls on July 4. On all other days of the year, a fishing license is not required for anglers 15 years and younger, but anyone age 16 and older must have a fishing license to fish in any public water in North Carolina, including coastal waters.