We Must Agree To Disagree

Sebastian at Snowflakes In Hell had a post yesterday in which he disagreed with my opposition to a bill in the North Carolina State Senate, S. 594, which would have amended North Carolina’s emergency powers.

The bill introduced by Senators Doug Berger (D-Franklin) and Andrew Brock (R-Davie) would have allowed the possession of firearms during a declared state of emergency. As I said then and I will say again on the face of it this is a good thing EXCEPT that it would have mooted the Second Amendment Foundation/Grass Roots North Carolina’s case Bateman et al v. Perdue et al. I hold that getting a good legal precedent in a court battle can often times trump getting a bill passed in a legislature for long lasting impact.

Sebastian holds that “if you’re presented with the shot, take it” or in other words, go with the certainty of the legislative victory as opposed to the uncertainty of the courts. This presupposes that it was a lock that the North Carolina General Assembly would pass an act amending Chapter 36A of the General Statutes. The major gun rights bills this session included the Castle Doctrine (passed), firearms in parks (passed), concealed carry in restaurants that serve alcohol (passed in the House), an omnibus bill that would improve concealed carry (passed with amendments in the House), and the emergency powers act changes (stalled in committee). Of all of these bills, I would have to say that the Castle Doctrine was the most important and it was passed.

I did not see any major public movement on S. 594 by either the NRA or Grass Roots North Carolina until the end of the session. It is my feeling that GRNC would have pushed for passage of S. 594 without the wise counsel of their attorney and the Second Amendment Foundation. By not pushing for it – and actually opposing it at the end of the session – that organization showed its growing maturity as a gun rights organization. By this I mean they were willing to play the long war and sacrifice the temporary gains of a bill for the longer term impact of an opinion.

Anthony Roulette, NRA-ILA State Liaison for North Carolina, commented on Sebastian’s blog that I was mistaken about the NRA’s rationale for pushing S. 594 at the end of the session. I will do him the courtesy of reprinting his comments here.

Mr. Richardson:

I appreciate that you have a right to your personal opinions regarding the NRA efforts on Senate Bill 594, but you are incorrect. The NRA has been pushing for a legislative fix to the problem of gun rights and a declared State of Emergency for many years. The NRA has been pushing for legislation in Congress and the states to prohibit gun confiscation during states of emergency almost immediately after Hurricane Katrina, and has succeeded in enactment of such statutes at the federal level and in 31 states.

In 2009, the NRA supported North Carolina House Bill 257 that sought to correct this problem:

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=4496

If you have been following NRA-ILA alerts this year, you will note that NRA has been “publicly pushing it from the start.” Here is our alert from April 15:

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=6634

It was mentioned again on April 22: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=6670

Unfortunately, it was not until last week that the NRA was informed by Senate Republican leadership that S 594 would not be brought up for consideration. That is the reason for our recent push, and it has nothing to do with your speculated reason.

Sincerely,

Anthony Roulette
North Carolina State Liaison
NRA-ILA

House Bill 257 from the 2009 session referred to above was supported by Grass Roots North Carolina as they made clear in their Alert from February 27, 2009. Why the change from then to now? McDonald v. Chicago. That win brought the Second Amendment to the states through incorporation and with it a whole new valid way to advance gun rights.

My training in political science reflects two divergent schools of thought. As an undergraduate, I was trained in the classical or legalistic approach to government with heavy emphasis on constitutional law and the structure of governmental institutions. As a graduate student at Chapel Hill, I was trained in the behavioral approach to political science which is the polar opposite of the classical approach. It is heavy on quantitative measurement and studying the actual behavior of political actors. In other words, what they do as opposed to what they say.

If one takes Mr. Roulette at his word that it was not their intention to moot Bateman, the impact of S. 594 passing would still have the same impact. Bateman would be mooted because the underlying case or controversy no longer existed regardless of whether or not this was the NRA-ILA’s intention. Thus, from a behavioral standpoint, their actions, if successful, would have mooted Bateman and screwed one of their critics, attorney Alan Gura, for good measure.

And they would have been able to say they got the Emergency Powers ban done away with. From a bureaucratic standpoint how much better could that have been – they get the glory, their critics are diminished, and a threat to their power is removed.

I Respectfully Disagree

The NRA-ILA sent out a legislative alert for North Carolina this morning concerning S. 594. This bill would do away with North Carolina’s ban on possession on ammo and firearms off premises during a declared State of Emergency.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Contact Your State Senator Immediately!

With time rapidly winding down on this year’s legislative session, many pro-gun reforms are in a position to advance. One critical reform has been bottled up, and could die if it is not acted on soon.

Senate Bill 594, an emergency powers bill introduced by state Senator Doug Berger (D-7), has been stalled since its introduction. This critical legislation would ensure that our Right to Keep and Bear Arms cannot be suspended during a declared state of emergency. The NRA has been told that the Senate Republicans are preventing this bill from being heard.

Please call AND e-mail your state Senator IMMEDIATELY and urge him or her to support adding the language in S 594 as an amendment to all pro-gun legislation.

Please also call AND e-mail Senate Republican Leadership and urge them to ensure the language in S 594 is amended to other pro-gun legislation.

I have written a great deal on North Carolina’s ban on firearms during declared states of emergency. I have called the Governor’s Office to inquire about the declared emergency at the start of dove season last year and was called a rumor mongerer. I have chastised Gov. Bev Perdue for misstating the law. I have written about the Senate Bill above. No one can say that I have ignored it and want the emergency ban to remain in place.

Normally, I’d be urging North Carolina readers to call or email the State Senate leadership to move this bill. That said, I disagree with the NRA-ILA on pushing to rush this bill through the State Senate. The reason I don’t want to see this bill passed right now is because of a conversation I had with a certain prominent attorney. All I will say about this attorney is that he has rock star status within the gun community.

He said that in strategic civil rights litigation you need the opinions and decisions so that you can build upon them to expand the right. For example, you had to have the Heller decision before you could get the McDonald decision which incorporated the Second Amendment to the states. If Mayor Adrian Fenty had not in his confident arrogance appealed to the Supreme Court from the Court of Appeals, you would not have had a Supreme Court decision in favor of Dick Anthony Heller.

Likewise here in North Carolina, if the General Assembly passed changes to the emergency powers, it will moot Bateman v. Perdue. At the heart of that case is the right to carry for self-defense outside of your residence. Bateman is fully briefed and is ready to go to oral arguments. It is a good case and despite the strong efforts of Attorney General Roy Cooper and his legal staff, I think we will win it.

There are many opportunities to get a bill passed or a law changed. There is only this one chance to win in the courts. Why blow it just because you are getting antsy? The strongest proponent for changes in this law has been Grass Roots North Carolina which is one of the plaintiffs in the case. With their Alerts going out almost daily as the General Assembly gets near the crossover date, you have not heard them pushing S. 594. Think about that. If the most hard-core, take no prisoners, gun rights group in North Carolina isn’t pushing it, doesn’t that say something? I think even GRNC realizes the value of letting the District Court finish the process that they started the day after the Supreme Court’s favorable ruling in the McDonald case.

UPDATE: S. 594 was not passed (or even considered) by the State Senate before the Crossover Deadline of 11:59pm on June 9th. As a result, it is dead for this session of the General Assembly despite the last minute efforts of the NRA-ILA.

Is this a bad thing that the General Assembly didn’t pass changes to the Emergency Powers statutes? The answer is no for two reasons. First, Bateman v. Perdue is moving along in the courts and as I said earlier, I think we have a good chance of winning it. And second, Governor Perdue herself has changed how she declares a State of Emergency. While she still retains the power to declare a statewide State of Emergency under Chapter 36A of the General Statutes which imposes the firearms restrictions, she has begun to use another section of the General Statutes, Chapter 166A,  that allows declaration of an emergency yet doesn’t impose firearms restrictions.

UPDATE II: I was correct about GRNC recognizing the value of letting the District Court finish the process. GRNC’s leadership sent out this message yesterday to Republican State Senators

To: GOP Senators
From: Grass Roots North Carolina
Re: SB 679, anti-gun effort by Sen. Doug Berger

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Grass Roots North Carolina has reason to believe that Sen. Doug Berger
will attempt to amend SB 679 (“Castle Doctrine/Amend Firearms Laws”) on Third
Reading by adding the contents of SB 594 (“Firearms/State of Emergency”).

I strongly urge you to oppose any such attempt by Sen. Doug Berger.

Although this bill appears to be a well-intentioned effort to repeal the
gun ban which applies during States of Emergency declared by the Governor or
local governments, in reality it is an effort to moot a lawsuit filed
against Gov. Perdue and others by Second Amendment lawyer Alan Gura.

As you may recall, Gura won DC v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago, forcing
SCOTUS to recognize the Second Amendment as an individual right.

This lawsuit, Bateman et al. v. Perdue et al., is intended to expand the
definition of the Second Amendment by the United States Supreme Court. If
won, not only would the lawuit cause repeal of the State of Emergency law in
question, but it would further expand our rights under the Second Amendment.

Again, I strongly urge you to oppose any attempt by Sen. Doug Berger to
add State of Emergency language to SB 679.

Senate Bill 679 passed its 2nd and 3rd Reading yesterday without the Emergency Powers amendment. Sen. Doug Berger referred to in the letter is a pro-gun Democrat.

Bill Introduced In NC Senate To Protect Gun Rights During State Of Emergencies

Senators Doug Berger (D-Franklin) and Andrew Brock (R-Davie) have introduced S. 594 in the North Carolina Senate. The bill introduced on Thursday would allow the possession or transport of a weapon during a state of emergency. The bill would also prohibit the enactment of any directive, proclamation, or local ordinance that would the confiscation or seizure of legally owned and possessed firearms during any declared state of emergency. Finally, the bill would prohibit the imposition of “additional restrictions or prohibitions upon the possession, carrying, transportation, sale, purchase, storage, or use of otherwise lawfully possessed firearms, ammunition, or ammunition components.”

This bill goes to the heart of the restrictions on firearms contained in NCGS § 14-288 which are now being challenged in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in Bateman et v. Perdue et al.

In what is obviously unintended timeliness, Central North Carolina was hit by very severe storms today including tornadoes. These storms are responsible for the deaths of 17 across four states including at least seven in North Carolina. The Raleigh News and Observer is reporting that three people were killed in a mobile home park in Raleigh, another three were killed in Bladen County, and one person was killed in Cumberland County.

Gov. Bev Perdue has not yet declared a state of emergency. She is reported to be out of state on personal business. However, Wake and Cumberland counties have both declared states of emergency as has the City of Fayetteville. The power of municipal and county governments to declare states of emergency is found in NCGS § 14-288.12 through 14-288.14.

Please keep the people of central North Carolina in your thoughts and prayers. Tornadoes are a rare occurrence in North Carolina and we aren’t prepared for them like residents of tornado alley with storm cellars and safe rooms. On a side note, a couple of well-known gun bloggers, Bob Owen (Confederate Yankee) and Sean Sorrentino (A NC Gun Blog) live in the Raleigh area.

UPDATE: The damage from the storm in terms of lives was much worse that I previously reported. The N&O is reporting 22 deaths from the tornadoes including 11 in Bertie County. Sean’s personal report on the storm is in the comments below.

Governor Perdue declared a state of emergency due to the storm and it can be found here. Executive Order No. 87 enacts the state of emergency under powers granted to the Governor under Chapter 166A of the North Carolina General Statutes. Unlike, declarations enacted under Chapter 36A, Section 14, this does not prohibit the possession of firearms.

The text of S. 594 is embedded below.

NC SB 594v1
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Another Snow Storm, Another State of Emergency For NC

WRAL-Raleigh is reporting that Governor Beverly Perdue has declared a state of emergency for North Carolina.

Gov. Beverly Perdue declared a state of emergency for North Carolina Monday to mobilize resources to respond to snow and ice forecast across the state.

Snow fell across parts of western and central North Carolina around dawn, and areas along the coast and south of Fayetteville saw some accumulation, but the Triangle was still waiting for flakes at 2 p.m.

There is nothing yet on the Governor’s website as to the wording of the Executive Order declaring the state of emergency. The state of emergency declared on Christmas Day by Lt. Governor Walter Dalton was only under the authority of the North Carolina Emergency Management Act and did not invoke the restrictions on firearms off-premises. That was the first state of emergency declared during the Perdue administration that did not invoke state of emergency restrictions on firearms.

I have hope that she has learned her lesson regarding snow storms and restrictions on firearms.

UPDATE:
It looks like the Governor has learned her lesson. The text of Executive Order No. 78 includes this:

Section 7.

This order is adopted pursuant to my powers under Article 1 of Chapter 166A of the General Statutes and not under my authority under Article 36A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes. It does not trigger the limitations on weapons in G.S. § 14-288.7 or impose any limitation on the consumption, transportation, sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages.

Update On NC’s State of Emergency

The Governor’s Office finally posted the Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency due to the heavy snow received. It was declared by Lt. Governor Walter Dalton on Christmas Day under the powers granted to him when the Governor is out of the state. It notes that he did this only after consulting Governor Bev Perdue.

Where this order declaring a State of Emergency gets interesting is that it is declared pursuant to the powers vested in the Governor under N.C. General Statutes Article 1 of Chapter 166A. This is the North Carolina Emergency Management Act of 1977. An emergency declared in this manner does not trigger the prohibition on the off-premises possession of firearms and ammunition unlike NCGS 14 § 288.15.

The Executive Order makes specific note that:

This order is adopted pursuant to my powers under Article 1 of Chapter 166A of the General Statutes and not under my authority under Article 36A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes. It does not trigger the limitations on weapons in G.S. § 14-288.7 or impose any limitation on the consumption, transportation, sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages.

The previous six States of Emergency declared by Governor Perdue were pursuant to both Chapter 166A (Emergency Management Act) and Article 36A (NCGS 14 § 288.15). The latter is what triggers the ban on firearms off-premises.

When Governor Perdue declared a State of Emergency prior to Hurricane Earl in Executive Order 62 on September 1st, she insisted that it did not impact the possession of firearms off-premises as that would have interfered with the start of dove season. The wording of the current Executive Order with specific references to Article 36A gives lie to that assertion.

In Executive Order 62, Governor Perdue delegated all powers and authority to the Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety that had been granted to her by Chapter 166A and Article 36A of Chapter 14. It did not specifically mention NCGS 14 § 288.15 but that would have been included under Article 36A of Chapter 14.

It looks like someone in Raleigh must finally be getting the message about gun bans during a state of emergency. One can only hope that the newly elected Republican majority in the North Carolina General Assembly will amend the law to prohibit gun bans during emergencies.

Here We Go Again With A State Of Emergency

Here we go again.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton declared a state of emergency on Christmas Day for the entire state. He did this after consulting with Gov. Beverly Perdue. The state of emergency was declared due to heavy snow. News reports don’t detail why it was the Lt. Governor who made the declaration and not the Governor. While it is not specified, I am presuming that this state of emergency was declared under authority granted by NCGS 14§ 288.15. Neither the Governor’s nor the Lt. Governor’s website has posted the actual Executive Order declaring the state of emergency.

As most will remember, it was the declaration of a state of emergency by the City of King, Stokes County, and the Governor due to a snow storm which lead to the first post-McDonald case, Bateman et al v. Perdue et al. In North Carolina, a declaration of a state of emergency triggers a ban on off-premises carry of firearms and ammunition. NC Gen. Statues 14§ 288.7 bans transportation and off-premises possession of “dangerous weapons”:

Transporting dangerous weapon or substance during emergency; possessing
off premises; exceptions.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to transport or possess off his own premises any dangerous weapon or substance in any area:
(1) In which a declared state of emergency exists;
or
(2) Within the immediate vicinity of which a riot is occurring.
(b) This section does not apply to persons exempted from the provisions of G.S. 14-269
with respect to any activities lawfully engaged in while carrying out their duties.
(c) Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a Class 1
misdemeanor. (1969, c. 869, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 192; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

G.S. 14 § 269 deals with the carrying of concealed weapons. The only exemptions it provides to those “carrying out their duties” involve law enforcement and military personnel. The holder of a NC Concealed Handgun Permit does not have “duties” and therefore could not be considered an “exempted person” under G.S. 14 §  288.7.

Back in September when a state of emergency was declared due to anticipated problems from Hurricane Earl, the Governor’s Office declared that they had structured it so that it would not invoke the ban on off-premises possession of firearms. As I said then and I will say now, nothing in the law allows the Governor (or Lt. Governor) to arbitrarily decide which part of a law will be valid or not.

Since coming into office in January 2009, Governor Bev Perdue has declared seven states of emergency. Three have been snow or winter storm related, three have been due to tropical storms or hurricanes, and one was due to a rockslide which closed Interstate 40 in Haywood County.

It is interesting to contrast her use of state of emergency powers with that of her predecessor Mike Easley. In his eight years in office, Easley declared 25 states of emergency. Most of Easley’s declarations were combined with declaring a state of disaster and, more importantly, were limited to the locale where the problem existed. They did not extend statewide. The exceptions were the back to back years of multiple major hurricanes hitting the state in 2004-2005. Finally, he only declared a state of emergency due to snow once in those eight years.

All I can say is that if you are carrying concealed or are traveling with a firearm in your vehicle, be careful.

UPDATE: See my post on the Executive Order proclaiming a state of emergency.

Rumor Mongerer

I guess that is what I am according to the people in Gov. Beverly Perdue’s office. I had called this afternoon to ask when the declared state of emergency would be lifted.

The young lady who answered the phone didn’t know exactly but was sure it would be in effect for a few more days. She asked if I lived in coastal North Carolina and was I affected by the storm. I replied no but I was concerned about it due to the impact of the declaration on my ability to be transport or possess a firearm outside the home.

She immediately got defensive and flustered. The position of the Governor’s Office was that the state of emergency did not ban this because it wasn’t a riot. She was adament that Chapter 14, Section 288 of Article 36A only dealt with riots. Actually it is entitled “Riots and Civil Disorders”. She pointed me to the Governor’s Office Blog for a release by Chris Mackey, Gov. Perdue’s press secretary, as if it were the definitive word on this:

We’ve received a number of questions about dove hunting season. Executive Order 62 did not trigger the provisions of G.S. 14-288.7 and there was never any intention by the issuance of Executive Order 62 to restrict the transportation or possession of off premises firearms. The order was written in such a way that the rights of North Carolina gun owners were not infringed upon.

I’m sure the pronouncement of a press secretary will go over really well when you try to use it as a defense in criminal court.

The young lady in the Governor’s Office did opine that she wished those spreading the “rumor” about the impact of the Executive Order would stop. The only problem is that the law reads the way it does and not the way the young lady, the Governor, or her press secretary would like it to read.

The entirety of Chapter 14 of the NC General Statutes can be found here. I would encourage readers to scan the statutes beginning at § 14‑288.1. Definitions. and continue through § 14‑288.20. Certain weapons at civil disorders. Much of this section does indeed deal with riots and I won’t disagree about that. However, if you read carefully you will see the words “catastrophe”, “storm”, “fire”, “flood”, and “calamity.”

G.S. 14‑288.7 does not discriminate between storm and riot if an emergency has been declared. It does not read “in an area in which a state of emergency exists; AND, Within the immediate vicinity of which a riot is occurring.” The two clauses are connected by OR which means that they are independent clauses and either will trigger the prohibition on transport or possession off-premises.

Where I think the Governor’s Office has it wrong is that they assume she must specifically invoke the provisions of G.S. 14‑288.12.(b)(4) which prohibits “the possession, transportation, sale, purchase, storage, and use of dangerous weapons and substances, and gasoline” to impose restrictions on the possession and transportation of firearms. Actually, the declaration of the state of emergency triggers the lesser restrictions on possession and transportation and G.S. 14‑288.12.(b)(4) allows the Governor or local officials to go over and beyond that.

If excellent attorneys such as Alan Gura, Kearns Davis, and Andrew Tripp read the law this way – and they do – then I don’t think I’m off base in my statement of the facts regardless of what Bev Perdue and her minions may think.

Hurricane Earl and North Carolina Law

Bateman et al v. Perdue et al was the first case to be filed after the Supreme Court incorporated the Second Amendment to the states with its decision in the McDonald case. Bateman challenges North Carolina’s emergency powers law which makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to transport or possess a firearm off your own premises. As Alan Gura noted in his complaint, North Carolina is often hit by hurricanes.

As of 11am on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center estimates that Hurricane Earl is approximately 300 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It is a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph near the eye of the storm. Even if the eye of the storm doesn’t make landfall, the outer bands of the storm will have hurricane force winds and these will hit sometime this evening or in the early morning hours of Friday.

Governor Perdue issued Executive Order No. 62, “Proclamation of a State of Emergency by the Governor of the State of North Carolina Due to Hurricane Earl” on Wednesday, September 1st. The order is effective immediately and could last for up to 30 days. The proclamation declares a state of emergency exists. Section 3 delegates her power by Article 36A of Chapter 14 of the NC General Statues to the Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety “to such further action as is necessary to promote and secure the safety of populace in North Carolina.” The Executive Order does not specify that it is limited to certain eastern North Carolina counties such as Dare and Hyde.

NC Gen. Statues Section 14-288-1.10 defines a State of Emergency as follows:

The condition that exists whenever, during times of public crisis, disaster, rioting, catastrophe, or similar public emergency, public safety authorities are unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection for lives or property, or whenever the occurrence of any such condition is imminent.

NC Gen. Statues Section 14-288-7 bans transportation and off-premises possession of “dangerous weapons”:

Transporting dangerous weapon or substance during emergency; possessing
off premises; exceptions.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to transport
or possess off his own premises any dangerous weapon or substance in any area:
(1) In which a declared state of emergency exists;
or
(2) Within the immediate vicinity of which a riot is occurring.
(b) This section does not apply to persons exempted from the provisions of G.S. 14-269
with respect to any activities lawfully engaged in while carrying out their duties.
(c) Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a Class 1
misdemeanor. (1969, c. 869, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 192; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

G.S. 14-269 deals with the carrying of concealed weapons. The only exemptions it provides to those “carrying out their duties” involve law enforcement and military personnel. The holder of a NC Concealed Handgun Permit does not have “duties” and therefore could not be considered an “exempted person” under G.S. 14-288-7.

G.S. 14-288-7 makes no exemptions for recreational shooting, it makes no exemptions for hunting, and it makes no exemption for concealed carry permit holders. If you possess or transport a firearm off your premises during the state of emergency, you will have committed an offense that the state considers a Class 1 misdemeanor. It does not matter that you live in an area that has received no rain, no wind, and no damage from Hurricane Earl.

I predict that on Saturday at noon, unless the state of emergency is lifted, there will be widespread lawlessness occurring across the state of North Carolina as that is the opening of dove season. Furthermore, I understand from another message board that the Louis Awerbuck Tactical Carbine class begins on Saturday in Durham at the Durham Pistol and Rifle Club. One wonders if North Carolina will enforce its own laws with the same rigorousness that Chicago seems to have enforced their gun ban. That is, rarely, if ever. If they do attempt to enforce it, I doubt that there will be enough jail space to hold all of the scofflaws.

UPDATE: The NC Wildlife Resources Commission released this tonight:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dove Season Opens as Scheduled on Sept. 4

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 2, 2010) – Despite North Carolina’s current state of emergency, dove season will open as scheduled at noon on Sept. 4.

After Gov. Perdue declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Earl, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission received numerous calls from the public asking if dove hunting will be allowed beginning this weekend. The Governor’s Office has informed the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission that nothing in the current emergency declaration, Executive Order 62, invokes any provision of law that would prohibit lawful hunting activities, including transporting a firearm to and from a hunting location (subject to local emergency ordinances to the contrary). Hunters in coastal areas should stay tuned to local media for the latest updates on Hurricane Earl and related emergency conditions that could affect the safety of themselves or others.

For more information on hunting, visit www.ncwildlife.org.

While the Governor’s Office states that nothing in the emergency declaration invokes any provision of the law that would prohibit hunting or transportation of a firearm to and from the dove fields, that is not how the law reads. The law does not say it is at the Governor’s discretion to invoke or not invoke a prohibition on the transport or possession of a firearm off-premises. I will note that the Governor’s Office gives themselves some wiggle room by saying “subject to local emergency ordinances to the contrary.”

It is obvious to me that they are starting to feel some heat. Now if the General Assembly would just get off its duff and do away with the ban totally we wouldn’t be in this Twilight Zone situation.

UPDATE II: Grass Roots North Carolina, one of the organizational plaintiffs in Bateman et al v. Perdue et al, released this statement tonight. It looks like their legal counsel agrees with my interpretation of the law.

GRNC Alert 09-02-10:

NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR LIES ABOUT STATE GUN BAN

State of emergency order makes criminals of concealed handgun
permit-holders, sport shooters and hunters…

“Even if EO 62 were worded…to expressly permit the possession of
firearms, the governor has no constitutional or statutory authority to
suspend the effect or enforcement of a valid NC criminal law.”

The State of Emergency order issued by Governor Beverly Perdue in
response to Hurricane Earl makes carrying a firearm outside one’s home
or place of business a Class I misdemeanor. Beyond law enforcement and
the military there are no exceptions: Not for hunters, sport shooters
or concealed handgun permit-holders.

Worse, with the legislature out of session, there is no immediate way
to address the crisis. As NC gun owners are aware, GRNC is among
plaintiffs on a lawsuit against the State of Emergency law, arguing
that it violates the Second Amendment, but legal redress is months, if
not years away.

PERDUE’S LIE

Gov. Perdue’s office has been issuing various denials to input about
the gun ban implications of the SoE, but the most blatant misstatement
is this:

“Thank you for contacting the Office of the Governor. After checking
with legal counsel, we are pleased to inform you that THE CURRENT
STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS WRITTEN IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE RIGHTS OF NC GUN
OWNERS ARE NOT INFRINGED UPON. . However, local
authorities still have the authority to establish states of emergency
within their jurisdictions that may impact your right to carry
weapons.”

Office of the Governor Bev Perdue

20301 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699

1-800-662-7952 (for NC residents only)

919-733-4240

919-733-2120 (fax)

governor.office@nc.gov

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/

THE TRUTH

From GRNC legal counsel Ed Green:

“On Sept. 1, 2010, Governor Perdue issued Executive Order No. 62
declaring “that a state of emergency exists in the State due to the
approach of Hurricane Earl.” Nothing in EO 62 mentions gun owners or
the possession of guns in any way. Nothing in EO 62 purports to
suspend the operation of any NC law.

“NCGS § 14-288.7 clearly and unambiguously forbids the possession of
any firearm off one’s premises during any declared State of Emergency,
with exceptions only for law enforcement and military in the course of
their duties. Under NC law, whenever a State of Emergency is declared,
no citizen may possess any gun outside of their home.

“Even if EO 62 were worded (or amended) to expressly permit the
possession of firearms, the governor has no constitutional or
statutory authority to suspend the effect or enforcement of a valid NC
criminal law. Once she declared a State of Emergency, Gov. Perdue
legally disarmed all NC civilians outside their own homes, including
the thousands of otherwise legally licensed hunters expected to take
to the fields for the opening of Dove season at noon Saturday.”

UPDATE III: A good article by Paul Valone in the Examiner on this. Paul is the president of Grass Roots NC and is the Charlotte Gun Rights Examiner.