NC Senate leader shows new support for loosening concealed handgun rules

Republicans in the North Carolina Senate introduced a bill Tuesday seeking to loosen restrictions on concealed firearms.

Senate Bill 50 would allow almost anyone who is 18 years old or older to carry a concealed handgun in public, without having to go through the state’s current approval system.

Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, shot down the same proposal in 2023, when a similar bill was filed in the state House. At the time, the idea was supported by gun rights activists but opposed by law enforcement leaders.

But this year, in a potentially major change for the fate of this proposal, Berger has not only lifted his opposition but is now listed as a co-sponsor of the Senate bill. Berger rarely puts his name on bills, so when he does, it’s seen as a strong signal to fellow Republicans.

“The General Assembly has made incredible strides to defend the Second Amendment rights of North Carolinians,” Berger’s office wrote in a statement attributed to all of the bill’s Republican sponsors. “There is still more we can do though.”

North Carolina is an outlier among Republican-led states — most of which have already passed similar laws in the last several years — according to U.S. Concealed Carry Association, which supports getting rid of concealed carry rules.

The NC Sheriffs' Association has not yet taken a stance on the proposal for the 2025 session, the group’s spokesman Eddie Caldwell told WRAL Tuesday, noting that the Senate and House have each now filed different versions of bills to get rid of concealed carry permit rules.

“We want to look at both of them and have the opportunity to talk to our sheriffs,” Caldwell said.

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To receive a concealed carry permit currently, North Carolinians must receive the permission of their local sheriff and pass tests on firearm safety and accuracy, as well as tests on relevant laws related to guns and self defense. This bill would make that system optional — so that most people wouldn’t need to go through those steps to carry concealed guns. People who want a permit could still receive one; many states allow people to carry concealed guns if they have a permit from another state.

There are some exemptions among the list of people who wouldn’t be able to automatically carry a gun without a permit, if this bill becomes law. That includes people with a DUI offense in the previous three years, military veterans who received anything but an honorable discharge, and people who have been found in court to be mentally ill or incompetent.

State Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, who filed the 2023 House bill, filed the bill again in his chamber last week. The Senate bill filed Tuesday appears highly similar to that new House bill, though not identical.

The House version would allow elected officials to carry concealed firearms into some places where guns are otherwise banned. The Senate version would not.

Despite new support from the top Senate Republican, it remains to be seen if the proposal will be able to pass into law this year.

The 2023 House bill to repeal concealed carry rules never received a vote in that chamber after it became apparent that not all Republican members supported it. Taking a stance one way or another could’ve been politically precarious for members heading into the 2024 elections for GOP incumbents. And in the 2024 elections Republicans lost their veto-proof supermajority in the state House — another potential hurdle to passing politically divisive bills such as this one.

Assuming no absences or vacancies, any bill this year that passes both chambers but is vetoed by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein can only become law if Republicans have zero defections in their own ranks and can also convince at least one Democrat in the state House to cross party lines and vote to override Stein’s veto.