Grass Roots North Carolina Archives -

Uncategorized

GRNC Feedback Day

May 6, 2024

by John Richardson

Grass Roots North Carolina has declared Tuesday, May 7th, as Feedback Day. In an effort to get HB 189 for permitless concealed carry back on the agenda, they are urging everyone to call NC House Speaker Tim Moore and NC Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. You are asked to thank them for ridding the state of the Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit and then urge them to get HB 189 back on track.

I would add that if you live and vote in the 14th Congressional District of North Carolina please remind Tim Moore that he needs your vote if he wants to be elected to Congress.

The alert is below with phone numbers and instructions.

‘FEEDBACK DAY’ ON
CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY

GRNC ‘Feedback Day’ will drop calls into leaders’ offices

Should you need governmental permission to exercise a basic civil right?

Last week, legislative team volunteers led by GRNC President Paul Valone delivered a hand truck full of petitions calling for constitutional carry to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, arguably the most powerful politician in the state, and then held a press conference on his doorstep. That is called “speaking truth to power.”

The effort kicked off GRNC’s renewed campaign to pass House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC,” sponsored by Rep. Keith Kidwell (R- Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, GRNC ****). The bill stalled last year when Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger told reporters that, having repealed the pistol purchase permit law, legislators had no “need” to address another gun bill. GRNC President Paul Valone has countered that ours is a Bill of Rights, not “needs,” and that Sen. Berger is not a self-appointed arbiter of “needs.”

When Berger conceded later to reporters that “Constitutional carry is something that is worth talking about. We’ll talk with our members and see whether there is an appetite to move forward with it,” Valone responded: “We’re the ‘members’ who gave you a supermajority, Sen. Berger, so let’s talk.”

GRNC in action: For a video of GRNC’s Legislative Action Team holding a constitutional carry press conference on Berger’s doorstep CLICK HERE.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

It’s time to make your voice heard loud and clear in the halls of the legislature by sending a message to Republican leaders in Raleigh. We would like you to call during a two-hour period from 9:00 AM EDT to 11:00 AM EDT this coming Tuesday, May 7.

Why Tuesday? Because NC Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and NC House Speaker Tim Moore are more likely to be in their offices. Legislative assistants will prevent you from speaking with them, of course, but they will witness the huge number of resulting calls, all calling for constitutional carry. Set a reminder in your phone.

CALL SEN. PHIL BERGER: Between 9 AM and 11 AM on Tuesday, May 7, call Sen. Berger at 919-733-5708. (See below, under ‘Deliver This Message’ for the message to convey).

CALL SPEAKER TIM MOORE: Also between 9 AM and 11 AM on Tuesday, May 7, call Speaker Tim Moore at 919-733-3451. (See below, under ‘Deliver This Message’ for the message to convey).

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight fun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated.

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

What to tell Republican leaders:

Thank them for repealing our Jim Crow purchase permit law, but tell them the job won’t be done until the Republican supermajority passes constitutional carry, including over-riding Gov. Roy Cooper’s inevitable veto.

NC Republicans have fallen behind Republicans in the 29 other states that have already passed constitutional carry.

Research by John R. Lott of the Crime Prevention Research Center found no increase in violent crime in constitutional carry states, and even a slight drop in murder.

Gun voters helped create the supermajority Republicans have used to pass several laws, over-riding Cooper’s vetoes. It is time they acknowledged that by passing House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC” NOW!

Excuses like legislative rules and placing blame on one chamber or the other are just that: Excuses.

Uncategorized

NRA-ILA Picks Wrong Target

April 21, 2023

by John Richardson 2 Comments

The NRA-ILA is now headed by what I consider their third string quarterback. First, Wayne and company forced Chris Cox out for supposed disloyalty. Then his replacement Jason Ouimet left when he saw the writing on the wall. Now Randy Kozuch, an almost 30-year veteran of the NRA, was appointed as Executive Director of ILA by the Board of Directors on Monday He had been the interim head prior to Monday.

Yesterday, the NRA-ILA posted a release that claimed credit for getting North Carolina’s pistol purchase permit repealed and blasting other 2A groups for taking credit for it.

However, some other 2A groups in the state have instead continued to focus on seeking credit for the legislative victory. At least one group has gone so far as to try claiming exclusive responsibility for the passage and veto override of SB41.
Not only do these laughable claims dismiss over a decade of legislative repeal efforts by NRA members, gun owners, and other 2A groups, but they also create an unnecessary distraction. This is a time when Second Amendment expansion opportunities in North Carolina are possible, including NRA’s push for constitutional carry. We would hope that all pro-gun groups share that same enthusiasm to collectively fight for pro-gun legislation in North Carolina.

Now I don’t know if this was the work of Randy Kozuch as it reads more like something that Marion Hammer would put out. I do know that someone royally screwed up.

To paraphrase Jim Croce:

You don’t tug on superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off that old lone ranger
And you don’t mess around with Paul Valone of GRNC

It is bad enough to take credit for another organization’s hard work. The NRA has done that time and again. However, it goes beyond the pale when you then dump on an all-volunteer, highly effective, state-level gun rights organization for having the temerity to claim credit for their actual accomplishments.

As anyone who knows Paul Valone would expect, he is not taking this lying down. He issued a point by point response last night.

Paul Valone is the honey badger of the gun rights community in North Carolina. While the NRA may still consider itself the 800 lb gorilla, “honey badger don’t care“.

Uncategorized

SHOT Show 2023 – It’s The People

January 29, 2023

by John Richardson

Seeing all the new products being released at SHOT Show is cool. Since I caught the SHOT Show crud during the show and not after it, I didn’t get to see as much as I usually did. Nonetheless, what I really enjoy most about going to the SHOT Show is reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

I’m not the best at taking selfies but others are. I ran into Charlie Chambers who I first met at a Gun Rights Policy Conference at Range Day. He was there with Amanda Suffecool and Rob Campbell of Eye on the Target Radio. This was taken early in the day before the rain arrived and the wind picked up.

Then there are the people you run into in the Media Room. In this case it was Charlie Cook of Riding Shotgun with Charlie and John Petrolino of BearingArms.com. As Charlie noted, all three of us were recipients of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Ray Carter Blogger of the Year Award.

Thursday was interesting as lunch and then dinner ran the political spectrum from Right to Left. Lunch was with Paul Valone and his wife Lori of Grass Roots North Carolina along longtime GRNC volunteer Josette Chmiel. Paul is the author of the book Rules for Anti-Radicals which deals with defeating leftism.

Thursday evening I swung to the opposite end of the political spectrum when I had dinner with people from the Liberal Gun Club. Beyond the wonderful food at Bouchon, I had a great time reconnecting with Lara and Ed Smith and trainer/revolver guru Grant Cunningham. Grant was at the SHOT Show representing Lubriplate which makes non-toxic firearm lubricants (among many other things). It had been years since I had seen Grant face-to-face so it was really fun to catch up with him.

Finally, there is my old friend Michael Bane. I ran into him at Range Day where he introduced me to James Tarr. Later that evening, I had dinner with Michael and his “sweetie” along with Paul Erhardt and one person whose name I still don’t remember. The Complementary Spouse insisted I get a picture. Unfortunately, I forgot. Fast forward to Thursday when Michael was doing the giveaway for a customized Tisas 10mm 1911 at the SDS Imports/Tisas booth. His “sweetie” was kind enough to take this picture of us and the Complementary Spouse was pleased.

There were a lot more people I ran into at SHOT than I can name without leaving someone out. Despite coming down with the crud and missing a day of the show because I stayed in bed, it was a good trip and it was the people that made the trip.

Uncategorized

USPSA Match To Benefit Grass Roots North Carolina

August 28, 2022

by John Richardson

The Sir Walter Gun Club in Creedmoor, North Carolina is sponsoring an USPSA 8-stage match to benefit Grass Roots North Carolina. The range is located north of both Durham and Raleigh just off of Interstate 85 and US Hwy 15.

More details on the match and how to register are below:

SIR WALTER GUN CLUB- USPSA PISTOL MATCH TO BENEFIT GRNC

Once again the good people at Sir Walter Gun Club are providing their facilities and hosting a USPSA match to help and benefit GRNC. – Which we all know is especially needed at this time.

Registration link

Registration opens August 26th at 7am
Registration ends September 1st at 8:30pm

Match starts: September 03, 2022 @ 10:00 AM Match ends: September 03, 2022 @ 5:00 PMMany thanks to the fine folks at Sir Walter Gun Club for their support of GRNC and our 2nd Amendment rights… Sir Walter Gun Club 2507 Hester RoadCreedmoor, NC 27522

USPSA Pistol Match to Benefit GRNC – 8 Stages $30.00 minimum donation. Jr. shooters are $20.00 NOTE: If you withdraw from the match before midnight on the Thursday before the match, you will be refunded your match fee less $1.00 to cover the credit card fees. No refunds will be given for withdrawals after that time or no shows at the match. USPSA level I match, with the following divisions: Limited, Limited 10, Open, Production, Single Stack, Revolver, Carry Optics, PCC

Uncategorized

Protest At Tillis’ Raleigh Office, June 24th

June 16, 2022

by John Richardson 3 Comments

Given Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) role in the GOP capitulation on gun control, Grass Roots North Carolina is holding a peaceful protest outside his Raleigh office on Friday, June 24th. They were able to get Stephen Willeford, the hero of the Sutherland Springs, Texas attack, to attend as the featured speaker. Mr. Willeford is now the National Spokesman for Gun Owners of America.

The event will be from 10am until 1pm outside the Terry Sanford Federal Building in Raleigh.

If you live in the Piedmont or can get to Raleigh on the 24th, please be there. Remember, it is politicians like Tillis who are the reason the GOP is known as “the stupid party”.

More details in the alert from GRNC below:

Uncategorized

Natasha Marcus Finds GRNC Takes No Prisoners

September 8, 2021

by John Richardson 2 Comments

You may remember NC State Senator Natasha Marcus (D-Mecklenburg). She is the senator who contended that North Carolina’s pistol purchase permit system was not racist despite its origins and its disparate impact on African-Americans. In her floor debate, she also made the claim that the law stopped more than 2,300 permits from being issued in her county despite having passed a NICS check.

It was an outrageous claim and not surprising coming from someone proudly claiming to be a member of Moms Demand Action.

Using both FOIA requests and multiple letters to Sen. Marcus, Grass Roots North Carolina found that her claims were, as the saying goes, made out of whole cloth. In other words, she made it up.

Grass Roots North Carolina is now asking that she receive formal discipline by the North Carolina Senate for her false claims.

From GRNC:

Group Demands Disciplinary Action

Against Sen. Natasha Marcus

NC State Senator propagates falsehood during floor

debate over purchase permit repeal bill

[Raleigh] Grass Roots North Carolina today demanded disciplinary action by Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger against Mecklenburg County Senator Natasha Marcus after finding conclusive documentation that during the Senate floor debate over House Bill 398 (“Repeal Purchase Permits”), Marcus falsely claimed to have proof that repealing the purchase permit system would result in handguns purchased by unqualified buyers who pass the FBI computerized background check but otherwise “failed the permit application.”

FOIA requests to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff Office (MCSO) now conclusively demonstrate that the numbers claimed by Marcus are false, demonstrating that she mislead her colleagues and constituents alike during debate over the bill.

Below is the letter delivered today to Sen. Berger demanding formal disciplinary action under Article II, Section 20 of the North Carolina Constitution. Copies of the letter from MCSO documenting the falsehood as well as the legal memo from GRNC Director of Legal Affairs Ed Green are available upon request.

———————————–

September 8, 2021

The Honorable Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore

16 West Jones Street, Room 2007

Raleigh, NC 27601

Dear Senator Berger:

Grass Roots North Carolina has now received conclusive proof that in the August 18, 2021 Senate floor debate over House Bill 398 (“Repeal Purchase Permits”), Sen. Natasha Marcus used false information to attack the bill.

As documented in the recording we have posted at https://www.grnc.org/hb-398-audio, Marcus claimed background checks for pistol purchase permits (PPPs) are supposedly superior to those conducted under the FBI’s National Instant Background Check System (NICS), saying:

“In Mecklenburg County, in the last fiscal year, over 2,300 permit applications passed the NICS background check but failed the permit application. So if this bill passed, all 2,300 plus of those applicants will now have a new unrestricted pass to purchase a handgun…”

That assertion is false. As outlined in the attached letter from Mecklenburg County Sheriff Office Public Information Manager Janet Parker in response to a FOIA request by GRNC Director of Legal Affairs Ed Green, the number of permit denials claimed by Marcus is not of people who passed NICS but were denied by Sheriff Garry McFadden; in fact, it represents all permit denials for the fiscal year 2021, including those denied via NICS.

When questioned on the source of her information, Marcus failed to provide the data for eight days, claiming that her unspecified “source” was gathering documentation. Only in response to my open letter to the Senate did she claim the information was provided by Permitium, LLC lobbyist Andy Munn in a series of text messages for which she provided screen images.

When called out publicly, Marcus doubled down on her claim, saying:

“You will see that the texts confirm exactly what I said on the floor: More than 2,300 permits were denied in Mecklenburg County during the last fiscal year due to issues that became apparent AFTER the applicant had passed a NICS check. This proves that the permit check system is neither duplicative nor unnecessary. It is an important tool to keep handguns away from dangerous and unstable people and it saves lives. Your efforts to eliminate it are reckless.”

But referencing the number of denials claimed (2,379) to have passed NICS but “failed the permit application”, MCSO’s Public Information Manager responded:

“The number of PPP application denials in your request appears to represent the total number of denials (or very close to the actual total) for the entire fiscal year, including denials based on NICS disqualifiers. MCSO does not keep records distinguishing reasons for denial contained within NICS and reasons for

denial outside of NICS. Nor does the MCSO keep easily accessible records that indicate all of the reasons for a PPP application denial when there are multiple reasons for denying a single application.”

Facts about Mecklenburg County pistol purchase permit denials:

MCSO does not keep the statistic claimed by Marcus: Permitium lobbyist Andy Munn could not tell Marcus how many passed NICS but failed the application because MCSO does not enter or store that information.
Marcus’ claim covers all denials, including those stopped by NICS: The total number of denials was 2,378 including those stopped by NICS – one less than Marcus claimed “passed the NICS background check but failed the permit application.”
The denials do not mean 2,378 people couldn’t purchase handguns: Some reasons for denial, such as failure to pay the permit fee or sign the release, or failure to provide previously requested documentation, were probably cured in a subsequent application that resulted in issuance of a PPP.
Denials included 426 who weren’t residents of Mecklenburg County: These applicants were likely eligible to own firearms but simply applied in the wrong county.

Sen. Marcus should be held to account:

Because effective public policy relies on accurate, honest information, propagating false information to colleagues and constituents represents serious misconduct, particularly when the falsehoods are uttered in a floor debate to mislead legislative colleagues with respect to legislation under debate.

Accordingly, please consider this a request by Grass Roots North Carolina for Senate leadership to formally discipline Senator Natasha Marcus as authorized under Article II, Section 20 of the North Carolina Constitution, the authority for which is outlined in a January 9, 2008 North Carolina House of Representatives memo entitled “Authority of Legislative Bodies to Discipline Members.”

Respectfully,

F. Paul Valone

President, Grass Roots North Carolina

Executive Director, Rights Watch International

Radio host, Guns, Politics and Freedom

Uncategorized

Vote On H398 Is Wednesday

May 2, 2021

by John Richardson 1 Comment

It finally looks like the North Carolina pistol purchase permit will be on its way out. A vote in the NC House is scheduled for Wednesday, May 5th.

Of course, I fully expect Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) to veto H398 if it passes the North Carolina General Assembly. An override will depend upon whether Democrats want to defend a racist, Jim Crow-era law that has been shown still to discriminate against African-Americans.

As Grass Roots North Carolina says in the alert, now is the time to put on and keep up the pressure.

Call your own representative, Democrat or Republican, and demand they pass this bill. If you don’t know who your representative is, use this tool.

Email every House Republican. Their email addresses are in the alert. You may need to copy the email addresses into your word processor and convert the “;” into a “,” depending upon your email program. I’d also suggest pasting them in as a BCC. Two minutes of copy and paste is all it takes. I just did it.

If you are not on the Grass Roots North Carolina email alert list, you need to be! Go here to sign up.

Uncategorized

NC’s Pistol Purchase Permit May Be Eliminated

April 21, 2021

by John Richardson 4 Comments

That 1919 remnant of the Jim Crow era, North Carolina’s pistol purchase permit, may finally be on its way out. The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association has finally endorsed its elimination and the House Judiciary 4 Committee voted out a bill that would do away with it.

Research published in the North Carolina Law Review showed that African-Americans were three times as likely to be denied than whites. This comes from a study of permits issued in Wake County where Sheriff Gerald Baker (D-Wake) is facing lawsuits for refusing to issue permits “due to COVID”.

This is not a done deal and I fully expect Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) to veto it. The law was intended to deny constitutional rights to African-Americans and its practice still does. Let him veto it and then try and defend that!

Since this is not a done deal, Grass Roots North Carolina is calling people to contact first Republicans and then later Democrats to pass this bill.

House Committee Passes Purchase Permit Repeal

Thanks to Reps. Jay Adams, Hugh Blackwell, Keith Kidwell, and George Cleveland, today the NC House Judiciary 4 Committee passed H398, a full repeal of North Carolina’s Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit (PPP) law – a law which not only allows some urban sheriffs to obstruct people from buying handguns for self-protection, but to this day also disproportionally denies minorities the ability to buy handguns for self-defense.

Not only are Republicans on board with repealing the racist law, but now the NC Sheriffs’ Association has joined them in supporting repeal. And who does that leave still supporting racist gun control? Democrats.
Said GRNC president Paul Valone:
“We are encouraged to see that the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association now agrees to bring gun purchases in North Carolina into the 21st Century by eliminating our Jim Crow-era permit system and requiring background checks at the point of sale. Given that a recent UNC School of Law paper found that in Wake County, black applicants are being denied permits three times more often than whites, it is clear that racism in issuing permits continues to this day. Consequently, we are calling upon Democrat legislators to join in repealing this racist law.”

Presuming the PPP repeal passes the General Assembly, anti-gun Democrat Governor Roy Cooper will certainly veto it. Because Republicans don’t have the 6/10 majority in either chamber that is required to over-ride Cooper’s veto, at least some Democrats will have to vote to over-ride.

Will Democrats do the right thing, or will they be the only ones left clinging to racist gun control? Please note that this message goes to Republicans.

Very soon, we will issue another alert with a message for Democrats.

EMAIL ALL NC HOUSE REPUBLICANS:  Please note that the large number of Republican recipients may require you to break up your message into multiple groups.
CALL YOUR NC HOUSE REP:  You can find your NC House rep by going to:

https://ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight gun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated.

CONTACT INFO

Copy each block of address and paste into an email

Edward.Goodwin@ncleg.gov; Larry.Yarborough@ncleg.gov; Steve.Tyson@ncleg.gov; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.gov; Bobby.Hanig@ncleg.gov; Matthew.Winslow@ncleg.gov; John.Bell@ncleg.gov; Chris.Humphrey@ncleg.gov; Pat.McElraft@ncleg.gov; Phil.Shepard@ncleg.gov; Carson.Smith@ncleg.gov; Frank.Iler@ncleg.gov; Charles.Miller@ncleg.gov; Ted.Davis@ncleg.gov; William.Brisson@ncleg.gov; Donna.White@ncleg.gov; Larry.Strickland@ncleg.gov;

Erin.Pare@ncleg.gov; Diane.Wheatley@ncleg.gov; John.Szoka@ncleg.gov; Brenden.Jones@ncleg.gov; Graig.Meyer@ncleg.gov; John.Sauls@ncleg.gov; Jamie.Boles@ncleg.gov; Howard.Penny@ncleg.gov; Mark.Brody@ncleg.gov; Jon.Hardister@ncleg.gov;

John.Faircloth@ncleg.gov; Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.gov; Jerry.Carter@ncleg.gov; Ben.Moss@ncleg.gov; Wayne.Sasser@ncleg.gov; David.Willis@ncleg.gov; Dean.Arp@ncleg.gov; Pat.Hurley@ncleg.gov; Lee.Zachary@ncleg.gov; Jeff.Zenger@ncleg.gov; Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.gov; Harry.Warren@ncleg.gov; Julia.Howard@ncleg.gov; Allen.McNeill@ncleg.gov; Sam.Watford@ncleg.gov; Larry.Potts@ncleg.gov; Kristin.Baker@ncleg.gov; Dudley.Greene@ncleg.gov; Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.gov; Destin.Hall@ncleg.gov; Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.gov; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.gov

Kyle.Hall@ncleg.gov; Ray.Pickett@ncleg.gov; Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.gov; Grey.Mills@ncleg.gov; Jason.Saine@ncleg.gov; John.Bradford@ncleg.gov; John.Torbett@ncleg.gov; Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.gov; Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.gov; Tim.Moore@ncleg.gov; David.Rogers@ncleg.gov; Jake.Johnson@ncleg.gov; Tim.Moffitt@ncleg.gov; Mark.Pless@ncleg.gov; Mike.Clampitt@ncleg.gov; Karl.Gillespie@ncleg.govsomebody@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Repeal our racist pistol purchase permit law”

Dear NC House Representative:

As stated by NC Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Eddie Caldwell in the Judiciary 4 Committee, the association now supports the repeal of our Jim-Crow era pistol purchase permit system. Describing recent improvements to North Carolina reporting to the computerized National Instant Background Check System (NICS), Caldwell described the archaic and racist permit law as “duplicative.”

A recent UNC Law School paper noted that in Wake County alone, from 2015 to 2020, black applicants were denied permits at a rate three times that of whites, demonstrating that racism in the permit law continues to this day. In early 2020, Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker decided to stop issuing permits altogether in violation of G.S. 14-404(f), which requires permits to be issued to qualified applicants within 14 days. In other urban North Carolina counties, permits are still being delayed by weeks, even months.

Finally, purchase permits remain valid for 5 years, raising the possibility that an individual could obtain a permit, commit a crime and then, once disqualified from buying a firearm, use the 5-year-old permit to bypass NICS.

I strongly urge you to support the repeal of our archaic, racist, and obstructionist pistol purchase permit law. I will be monitoring this issue through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,

Uncategorized

NC Republicans Waffle on Pistol Purchase Permit Fix

April 5, 2021

by John Richardson 1 Comment

In a year in which we saw the state of Iowa ditch their requirement for a pistol purchase permit, the Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly still are kowtowing to the NC Sheriffs Association. Certain sheriffs in North Carolina have been obstructing the issuance of pistol purchase permits since the beginning of the pandemic.

A simple bill, HB 398, would provide citizens of a county an alternative where their sheriff has been one of these obstructionists. It simply allows them to apply for a permit in an adjoining county. So, for example, a citizen of Wake County, where Sheriff Gerald Baker has been such an obstructionist that he is being sued in US District court, could apply for a permit in one of the seven adjoining counties. This bill is a mere tweak to a Jim Crow law that should have been ditched years ago. Notwithstanding that the sheriffs of the seven largest counties in the state are all African-American who you would think would want such a racist law abolished, the NC Sheriffs Association seems to be objecting to such a fix. That has the GOP in the General Assembly – or some of them – caving.

Grass Roots North Carolina has fought the issue for over 20 years. They just issued an alert after HB 398 was removed from a hearing calendar.

NC SHERIFFS EFFECTIVELY SAY ‘POUND SAND’

In the early months of the pandemic, GRNC began receiving complaints of abuse of the NC pistol purchase permit system by sheriffs in Wake and Mecklenburg counties and elsewhere. Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker even tried to stop issuing permits altogether…until GRNC and two other organizations sued him. Yet despite even this, purchase permit and concealed handgun applicants are reporting multi-month delays in scheduling appointments for permits.

NC Sheriffs effectively say ‘pound sand’ GRNC has been trying to repeal the Jim Crow-era purchase permit law for 20+ years, even getting a repeal through the NC Senate in 2014. Unfortunately, each time we have encountered opposition from the powerful NC Sheriffs Association (NCSA).

In the interest of getting permits into the hands of applicants until we can fully repeal the law, Representative Jay Adams (R-Catawba, GRNC ****) introduced HB 398, a simple bill to at least allow applicants to apply in counties adjoining their county of residence if their own sheriff is being obstructionist.

The bill was calendared for a hearing last Wednesday…until, apparently, the Sheriffs’ association objected to even that minor change. Then Judiciary 4 Committee Chair Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) pulled it from the calendar at the last minute, claiming leadership planned to “improve” the bill, but not telling anyone what the “improvements” might be, suggesting that Republicans might once again be caving to the NCSA.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

With the crossover deadline little more than a month away, your IMMEDIATE action is crucial. Please send three emails and make three phone calls:
CALL AND EMAIL: NC House Speaker Tim Moore at: (704) 739-1221 (919) 733-3451 Tim.Moore@ncleg.gov

CALL AND EMAIL: NC House Rules Chair Destin Hall at: (919) 733-5931 (919) 733-5931 Destin.Hall@ncleg.gov

CALL AND EMAIL: NC House Judiciary 4 Committee Chair Hugh Blackwell at: (919) 733-5805 (919) 733-5805 Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.gov

CONTACT INFO Tim.Moore@ncleg.gov; Destin.Hall@ncleg.gov; Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.gov

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Enough is enough: Pistol permit obstruction must stop!”

Dear :[Speaker Moore/Rep. ___:]
You must stop obstruction of NC pistol purchase permits and the resulting denial of citizens’ rights by returning House Bill 398 to the House calendar for immediate action.

Using COVID-19 and increased permit applications as an excuse, sheriffs in Wake and Mecklenburg counties, among others, are obstructing pistol purchase permits and concealed handgun permits, often taking months to schedule appointments for applications, even in the face of multiple lawsuits filed by Grass Roots North Carolina and others.
For years, sheriffs have objected to repealing our Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit law – a racist law passed to prevent minorities from buying guns for self-protection. Now we are encountering resistance even to a small and simple change which would allow permit applicants to bypass obstructionist sheriffs by applying in adjacent counties.

Enough is enough. Citizens have been denied their right to purchase handguns for self-protection for entirely too long. In the 2020 elections, gun voters supported you because they expect you to protect and defend the Second Amendment.

It is now time for you to do what we elected you to do by passing House Bill 398. Additionally, please advise me of your position on this issue. I will be monitoring your actions through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.
Respectfully,

The official state motto of North Carolina is Esse Quam Videri. Translated from the Latin it means “To be rather than to seem.” The Republicans in the General Assembly always say they support the Second Amendment and gun rights. If so, now is the time for them to be rather than to seem!

Uncategorized

Sheriff Gerald Baker Allowed To Slow Walk Permits

October 22, 2020

by John Richardson 1 Comment

Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins has denied Grass Roots North Carolina’s ~~lawsuit~~ motion for temporary restraining order against Wake Sheriff Gerald Baker over dragging his feet on the processing of pistol purchase and concealed handgun permits. The law states that the sheriff must issue pistol purchase permits within 14 days but Baker’s office has been taking much longer.

From CBS17 in Raleigh:

Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins wrote that the sheriff’s office continues to insure that permits are properly processed to prevent convicted felons and other non-qualified persons from obtaining handguns, while also complying with Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders concerning the pandemic, a release from the sheriff’s office said.
The court also said that the manner in which the sheriff’s office processes applications for the permits was not unreasonable.
“I’m very pleased with ruling rendered by Judge Collins,” Baker said in the release. “As I’ve stated before, I will continue to ensure and protect the Second Amendment rights of all qualified citizens, while continuing to protect the safety and welfare of my staff, Wake County citizens and the jail residents housed in the Wake County Public Safety Center, during this pandemic.”

If this judge rings a bell in your memory, it is because he is the same judge who tried to strike down voter-passed amendments to the North Carolina constitution that mandated voter-ID and capped the income tax. Collins argument was that both constitutional amendments were invalid because the General Assembly was gerrymandered. Interestingly, he did not declare that every other law passed by the General Assembly was similarly invalid.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals overturned this ruling in September. That decision concluded:

We conclude that the superior court erred in holding that our General
Assembly lost its power granted by our state constitution, while retaining other powers, simply because a federal court had determined that the maps contained too many majority-minority districts, such that some members elected to that body were from districts that were illegally gerrymandered based on race. It is simply beyond our power to thwart the otherwise lawful exercise of constitutional power by our legislative branch to pass bills proposing amendments. Accordingly, we reverse the order of the superior court and declare the challenged constitutional amendments duly ratified by the people to be valid.

One other note here – Judge Bryan Collins is the husband of NC Appeals Court Judge Allegra Collins who was elected in 2018. I would presume the judicial ethics would force her to recuse herself from any case decided by her husband.